IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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4. 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  l4istorical  IVIicroreproductions  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiquea 


1980 


4t 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  o.  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 
D 
D 

D 
D 

n 


n 


n 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagde 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pellicul6e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int^rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restau ration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmdes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl6mentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meillcur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  ddtails 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sent  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m6thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


I      I    Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 


□    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur6es  et/ou  pelliculdes 

I — y  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
I  \A   Pages  d6color6es,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 

□Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d6tach6es 

r~7  Showthrough/ 
l__J    Transparence 

□    Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

□    Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppldmentaire 


D 
D 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  film6es  d  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


n/ 


10X 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 

14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


y 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


n 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library, 

Geological  Survey  of  Canada 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


L'exemplaire  filmd  fut  reproduit  gr&ce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

Bibliothdque, 

Commission  Giologique  du  Canada 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  i\\m6.  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim6e  sont  filmds  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
«)mpr0inte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  imag^i  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  6tre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
roproduit  en  un  seul  clich6,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Los  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

/  ' 


Htw- 


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ic:. 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  OF  SOUTHERN  OlII^  4 


> 


CONSIDEUED  WITH  RELATION  TO 


i. 


THE  HOCKING  VALLEY  COAL  FIELD 


AND 


ITS  IRON  ORES, 


WITH  NOTICES  OF 


FURiS^ACE  COALS  A^^D  IRON^  SMELTIKG, 


FOLLOWED  BY   A  VIEW  OF 


THE  COAL  TRADE  OF  THE  WEST, 


HV 


T.  STERIiY  HUNT,  LL.D.,  F.R.S. 


SALEM,  MASS. 

N  A  T  i;  11 A  L I  S  T  S '    AGENCY, 

1874. 


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^"""'■^Sil AIL  M  0. AD  MAJP  ^ 

Slio\dJi^  the  relation  of  the 

to  the  Markets  of  the  North  muiAfest 


i&  accompany  a  Report  hv 

T.Sterry  Hunt  LL.D.  F.R.S, 


V  \  \ 


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I  Ohio. 


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THE  COAL  AND  IRON  OF  SOUTHERN  OHIO 


rONSIDEHED  WITH  UEI.ATrON  TO 


THE  HOCKING  VALLEY  COAL  FIELD 


AND 


ITS  IRON  ORES, 


WITH  NOTICES  OF 


FURIS^ACE  COALS  AND  YSiO^  SMELTmCI, 


FOLLOWED  nv  A  VIEW  OP 


THE  COAL  TKADE  OF  THE  WEST. 


nv 


T.  STERRY  HUNT,  LL.D.,  F.R.S. 


SALEM,  MASS. 

NATURALISTS'    AGENCY. 

1874. 


rniNTED  AT 
THE    SALKM    PKESS, 

F.  W.  PUTNAM  &  CO., 
ProprUUrt. 


PREFACE. 


Ix  preparing  the  following  sketch  of  a  portion  of  the  coal  and  iron  re- 
gion of  southern  Ohio,  I  have  brought  together  the  principal  facts  with 
regard  to  it  from  all  available  sources.  These  have  been  in  the  first 
place  the  detailed  observations  of  Professor  E.  B.  Andrews,  charged 
with  the  survey  of  this  part  of  Ohio,  which  will  be  found  in  the  oflicial 
reports  of  the  geological  survey  of  the  state  published  in  18G9  and  1870. 
The  first' volume  of  the  final  report  entitled  "The  Geology  of  Ohio," 
which  appeared  In  1873,  contains,  of  the  region  here  Included,  an  account 
only  of  Athens  county.  The  later  observations  of  Professor  Andrews  in 
the  other  counties  of  the  region  are  as  yet  unpublished,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  some  which  are  to  be  found  in  a  private  report  by  him  on  certain 
coal  lands  In  Perry  county.  From  the  last  mentioned  volume  and  from 
this  report,  as  also  from  a  private  report  and  a  printed  section  by  Mr.  M, 
C.  Read  of  the  geological  survey,  and  another  report  by  Mr.  Isaac  B.  Riley, 
C.  E.,  of  Newark,  Ohio,  all  upon  this  coal  region  and  all  published  In  1873, 
I  have  gathered  a  large  additional  amount  of  valuable  material. 

For  the  general  account  of  the  coal  measures  of  Ohio  Ip  ,he  Introduc- 
tion, I  am  largely  indebted  to  the  descriptions  of  Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry  of 
New  York,  the  director  of  the  geological  survey  of  Ohio,  which  will  be 
found  in  tlie  above  mentioned  volumes.  Dr.  Newberry  has  also  kindly 
furnished  me  yet  unpublished  notes,  made  by  his  assistant,  Mr.  Henry 
Newton,  M.  E.,  of  New  York,  and  has  otherwise  aided  me.  Valuable 
information  has  been  derived  from  several  small  pamphlets  on  this  coal 
region  by  Col.  Charles  Whittlesey  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  in  addition 
to  these  has  furnished  me  with  private  Information.  The  chemical  anal- 
yses of  the  coals  and  the  iron  ores  are,  with  few  exceptions,  taken  from 
the  elaborate  and  valuable  report  of  Prof.  T.  G.  Wormley,  of  Columbus, 
chemist  to  the  geological  survey,  which  appeared  In  the  volume  for  1870. 
To  these  are  added  some  more  recent  aualyscs  taken  from  that  for  1873, 

(lU) 


iv 


PIIEFACE. 


and  still  more  recently  of  materials  collected  by  myself  and  analyzed  by 
Dr.  Drown  of  Pliiladelphia,  and  Mr.  Stafl'ord  of  the  Massachusetts  In- 
stitute of  Technology. 

To  the  above  sources  of  information  I  must  add  the  results  of  my  own 
observations  made  during  two  short  visits  to  portions  of  this  region 
within  the  last  six  months,  by  which  I  have  been  enabled  to  extend  con- 
siderably our  knowledge  of  the  distribution  of  the  coal,  and  the  nature 
and  distribution  of  the  iron  ores.  For  valuable  information  relating  to 
the  manufacture  of  iron,  I  have  to  thank  Mr.  T.  S.  Blair  of  Pittsburgh, 
Mr.  W.  A.  Hooker  of  Cleveland,  Mr.  S.  IJaird  of  Columbus  and  Mr. 
Harvey  Wells  and  Mr.  Cobb  of  Milton.  My  personal  acknowledgments 
are  also  due  to  several  gentlemen  at  Columbus  and  Newark  and  in  various 
parts  of  the  coal  region  for  kind  attentions  and  courtesies. 

For  the  statistics  of  the  coal  trade  I  am  nmch  indebted  to  a  recent  val- 
uable little  work  by  Mr.  Fred.  E.  Saward  of  New  York  entitled,  "  The 
Coal  Trade,"  and  also  to  notes,  both  printed  and  in  manuscript,  furnished 
by  Mr.  E.  D.  Manslleld  of  Cincinnati.  The  information  about  the  rail- 
way system  of  the  region  has  been  gathered  in  part  during  my  visits  to 
these  regions,  but  chiefly  from  the  recent  reports  of  Messrs.  IJiley  and 
Andrews,  noticed  above.  In  a  compilation  like  the  present  it  is  not  easy 
to  avoid  falling  into  some  errors,  for  which,  in  advance,  I  ask  indulgence, 
feeling  that  I  have  done  my  best  to  avoid  them. 

Two  maps  accompany  this  publication,  one  a  general  railway  map, 
showing  the  relation  of  the  coal  region  of  Ohio  to  the  markets  of  the 
north  and  west;  the  other  a  map  of  some  of  the  southern  counties  in 
the  coal  region,  on  a  scale  of  two  miles  to  an  inch,  compiled  for  the  occa- 
sion by  Mr.  Isaac  B.  Kiley,  C.  E.,  drawn  by  Mr.  D.  W.  Curlin  and  en- 
graved by  G.  W.  &  C.  B.  Colton  &,  Co.  of  New  York. 

T.  S.  H. 

Institutk  of  Tkciinology, 

Boston,  Mass.,  May  1,  1874. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Intkoduction 

The  Appalachian  Coal  Basin 

Lower  Coal  Series  In  Ohio ;  the  Pittsburgh  Scam '        .' 
Limestone;  Buhrstone;  Iron  Ores;  Petroleum;  Salt  . 
Arrangement  and  Dip  of  the  Coal  Measures 
The  Hocking  Valley  Coalfield 
Coal  6,  or  the  Great  Vein 

Brown;  Waterloo;  Athens;  York;  Xelsonville 

Dover;  Green;  Ward;  Trim.,le;  Snow  Fork;  Sunday  Creek 

Monday  Creek;  Salt  Lick;   Straitsville;  Shawnee;  Munroe 

Ferrara;  Pike;  Bearfleld;  Pleasant;  Moxahala    . 

Extent  of  the  Great  Vein ;  Area  of  the  Coalfield  . 

Coal  6,  or  Lower  New  Lexington  Seam 

Coal  Ga,  Norris  or  Middle  Seam 

Coal  7,  StallsmithorBayley's  Run  Seam;  Carbondale' Coal 

Elevation  and  Dip  of  the  Great  Vein 

The  Coals  of  the  Hockixg  Valley 

Dry,  Splint  or  Block  Coals  ... 

Coal  of  the  Great  Vein ;  a  Dry  Coal ;  Consumption  andUses 

Gas  Coal ;  Furnace  Coal  for  Iron  Smelting    . 

Blast  Furnaces  of  Columbus,  Zanesville  ami  Cleveland 

Market  Value  of  the  Hocking  or  Straitsville  Coal 

Analyses  of  Coal;  Determination  of  Sulphur 

Coals  from  Nelsonvillc  and  Haydenville 

Coals  from  Ward,  Straitsville  and  Munroe 

Coals  from  Dover  and  Trimble ;  Variations  ;  Choice  of  Coals 

Coal  of  Norris  Seam;  Analyses  ;.Carbondale  Coal 

Coal  of  Stallsmith  or  Bayley's  Run  Seam;  Analyseo 

Sulphur  in  various  coals;  in  tliose  of  Northern  Ohio 

Briar  Hill,  or  Mahoning  Valley  Coal 

Block  Coal  of  Indiana;  Analyses 


Page. 

1 

8-7 

7-9 

10 

II 

11-13 
14-15 
15-lG 
17-18 
18-19 
20 

21-22 

23-24 


28 
27 

28-29 

29-31 
31 

32-33 
34 

35-38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44-45 


• 


VI  CONTENTS. 

Coals  of  Jackson  county;  Ashland  Coal;  Analyses      .        .  4C-48 

Mining  in  the  Hocking  Valley  field;  its  facilities  and  cost  .  49 

Calculations  of  the  yield  of  coal  soams;  Working  results  .  60 

Iron  Ores  and  Iron  Smelting  in  Ohio. 

Hanging  Rock  region ;  Nature  and  composition  of  ores       .  52 

Limestone-ore,  cost  of  mining,  yield  and  prices  ...  53 

Red  hematite  ore ;  its  characters  and  analyses     ...  54 

Ores  of  Salt  Lick,  York,  Brown,  Tike  and  rieasant      .        .  65-50 

Ores  of  Sunday  Creek  Valley ;  Trimble,  Dover    .        .        .  56-57 

Cost  of  charcoal ;  Smelting  with  mineral  coal      .        .        .  58-5J) 

Analyses  of  pig  iron  from  native  ores CO 

Ores  from  Lake  Superior  and  Missouri          ....  60 

Connellsville  coke ;  its  cost  and  importance ;  Analysis         .  61 

Coal  Trade  of  the  North  and  West. 

Coal  supply  of  Chicago,  its  sources  and  its  increase    .        .  63 

Milwaukee,  Cleveland,  Sandusky,  Toledo      ....  64-G5 

Buffalo,  Pittsburgh,  Ohio  River,  Cincinnati  ....  06-67 

Cost  of  coal  at  Cincinnati ;  Supply  from  the  Hocking  Valley  68-69 

Bailroad  communications  of  the  Hocking  Valley. 

Columbus  and  Hocking  Valley  Railroad         ....  69 

Newark,  Somerset  and  Straitsville  Railroad          ...  70 

Atlantic  &  Lake  Erie  Railroad 70 

Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  its  extensions  ...  70 

Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company,  its  extensions          .  71 

Other  projected  or  unfinished  Railroad  lines          ...  72 

Distances  from  the  Hocking  Valley  field  to  markets     .        .  72 

Conclusion. 

Present  and  future  coal-demand  of  the  west          ...  73 

Annual  increase,  sources  of  supply 74 

Relations  of  the  southern  Ohio  coals  to  the  west           .        .  75 

Future  of  the  Hocking  Valley  region 76 

Appendix;  Costs  of  Iron  Smelting. 

Iron  smelting  at  Pittsburgh  and  at  Cleveland        ...  77 

Smelting  in  the  Haufring  Rock  and  Hocking  Valley  regions  78 


ox  THE 


COAL  AND  IRON  REGION 


OF 


SOUTHERN     OHIO. 


INTRODUCTION. 

§  1.    The  coal-bearing  rocks   of  eastern  Ohio  constitute 

do  ac.he<I  l,a.„„  yieWi„g  .en,i.|,itumin„„.  eo„l,  nn     k  o^' 
as   ho  Cu„,  ,orla„d  of  Ma,,lan,l,  the  Broad  Top  an  1  .    ^ 
to  .ho  northeast  those  of  Snowsl.oe,  I'hillipshn-,.     ( 
To   anch,  anJ  Blosshnrg  of  Ponn.ylv,„„-a  ;  Lie  5  11  f         ^ 
■  n  tlic  sa,no  (1,,-eotion  are  the  anthvaeito  field.      All  r.f   I 
donhtles.,  once  forn.od  part,  of  the  ^reat  A L.if  '"■"-' 

"T'l"  Tr.Trt '  ™" '  ^'^^^^^^::^"  """• 

§  2.    Iho  length   of  this  vast  hasin    of    i.itunmmus  co.I 
fton>  northeast  to  sonthwest  is  875  „,,os,  and  l^ZlZl 


w^ 


2 


THE  COAL  AND  lUON  REGION 


Hi 


breadth  across  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  about  180  miles, 
while  its  total  area  is  estimated  at  about  58,000  square  miles, 
of  which  al)out  10,000  square  miles  are  included  in  the  state 
of  Ohio.  The  western  limit  of  the  coal  formation  in  this 
state  is  defined  by  a  line  beginning  on  the  Pennsylvania 
boundary  in  Trumbull  county  and  extending  westward,  with 
an  irregular  course,  through  Portage,  Summit  and  tlie  south- 
west part  of  Medina  county,  thence  turning  southward 
through  the  east  part  of  Wayne  and  the  west  part  of  Holmes 
and  Coshocton  counties,  along  the  eastern  limits  of  Licking 
and  Fairfield,  and  through  Hocking,  Vinton,  Jackson  and 
Scioto  counties  to  the  Ohio  River  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Scioto. 

§  3.  The  strata  of  the  great  Appalachian  coal  basin 
are  divided,  in  accordance  with  the  classification  long  since 
adopted  by  the  geological  survey  of  Pennsylvania,  into  a 
Lower  and  an  Upper  Coal  Scries.  This  latter  division,  which 
occupies  but  a  comparatively  small  area  in  Ohio,  includes  at 
its  base  the  great  Pittsburgh  seam,  which  crosses  the  Ohio 
River  a  little  north  of  Steubenville,  and,  according  to  H.  D. 
Rogers,  pursues  a  general  southwest  course  to  McConnels- 
villc  on  the  Muskingum  River,  thence  more  southward,  pass- 
ing a  little  east  of  the  town  of  Athens,  through  Meigs  and 
Gallia  counties  towards  the  Ohio  River,  which  it  reaches 
again  a  short  distance  above  Burlington  in  Lawrence  county. 
The  whole  of  the  coal  basin  in  Ohio,  to  the  north  and  west  of 
the  line  thus  traced,  belongs  to  the  Lower  Coal  scries. 
This  generally  rests  upon  a  considerable  thickness  of  con- 
glomerate (which  is  however  in  some  cases  wanting),  and 
was  in  Pennsylvania  divided  into  the  Productive  Measures, 
which  are  below,  and  the  Barren  Measures,  which  are  above  ; 
a  similar  twofold  division  being  also  recognized  in  the  L'pper 
Coal  scries. 

§  4.  The  productive  measures  of  the  Lower  Coal  series, 
including  several   important   coal  seams,   are   overlaid  by 


OF   SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


d 


the  so-called  Mahoning  sandstone,  followed  by  a  series  of 
strata,  which,  though  they  have  been  found  to  contain  in 
some  parts  of  their  distribution  workable  seams  of  coal,  still 
retain  their  name  of  the  barren  measures.  The  thickness  of 
the  productive  measures  to  the  base  of  the  Mahoning  sand- 
stone in  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  is  about  300  feet,  and  in 
northwestern  Pennsylvania  about  400  feet,  while  the  overly- 
ing barren  measures  are  there  somewhat  greater  in  amount. 
The  whole  series  of  the  Lower  Coal  measures,  includin*? 
these  two  divisions,  is,  however,  subject  to  considerable  va- 
riations from  the  local  thickening  or  thinning  of  individual 
members,  and  their  occasional  absence,  but  in  southern  Ohio 
will  not  probably  be  far  from  700  feet. 

§  5.  The  various  coal  seams  found  in  the  Lower  Coal 
series  (including  the  so-called  barren  measures),  as  de- 
duced by  Dr.  Newberry  from  his  studies  in  northern  Ohio, 
are  given  below  in  descending  order.  The  letters  and  names 
by  which  the  principal  seams  were  originally  designated  in 
the  Pennsylvania  survey  being  in  brackets. 

The  Coal  No.  8  [II.  Pittsburgh],  with  its  underlying  flre-chiy, 
belongs  to  the  Uppeu  Coal  Seuies,  but  rests  directly  upon  the 
Barren  Measures  of  the  Lowku  Coal  Sekies.  These,  cousistliig 
of  sandstones  and  shales,  with  two  small  limestoue  formations 
in  the  upper  part,  include 

Coal  7b.  —  [G.] i— 4  feet. 

Coal  7a.  —  [F.] 1—6    " 

Coal  7      — 0—5    •' 

Beneath  this  last  lies  another  limestone  bed,  followed  by  the 
Mahoning  sandstone,  which  is  in  some  localities  from  forty  to 
sixty  feet  in  thickness,  and  in  others  is  in  part  replaced  by 
shales.    Below  it  are  the  Productive  Measures  including 

Coal  G    —  [E.  Upper  Freeport]    .     .     .    4—7  feet. 
Coal  5    —  [D.  Lower  Freeport]    .     .     .    2—4    «' 

Coal  4    —  [C.  Kittanningj 2—6    " 

Coal  3a.  —  local 2—3    " 

Coal  3    —  [B.] 2—4    " 

Coal  2    —  gem  rally  thin 1—6    " 

Coal  1    —  [A.  Briar  Hill  or  Block  Coal]    3—4    " 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  REGION 


!  h 


§  0.  The  intervals  between  these  clillereut  coals,  as 
seen  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Ohio,  vary  greatly  in  dif- 
ferent localities.  Thns  between  Coals  7  and  G,  the  inter- 
posed strata  measnre  from  fifty  to  one  hnndred  feet,  and 
those  between  6  and  5  (where  both  of  these  are  present) 
from  twenty  to  sixty  feet;  while  along  the  western  margin, 
(where  5  is  generally  absent)  the  interval  between  G  and 
4,  which  equals  100  feet  farther  ea-stward,  is  reduced  to 
twenty-five  feet.  Between  4  and  3  the  interval  varies  from 
twenty  to  eighty  feet ;  3a  (and  sometimes  another  thin 
seam  not  indicated  in  the  above  list,)  intervenes  where  the 
distance  is  greatest.  The  interval  between  3  and  2  is  more 
constant,  being  from  eighty  to  ninety  feet,  while  that 
between  2  and  1  is  extremely  irregular,  sometimes  vary- 
ing fifty  feet  within  a  few  hundred  yards  ;  this  variation 
being  mainly  due  to  waves  or  undulations  in  the  lower 
seam,  which  generally  reposes  upon  a  conglomerate,  some- 
times with  the  intervention  of  a  varial)le  amount  of  shale. 
This  conglomerate,  in  some  places  one  hundred  feet  or  more 
in  thickness,  is  in  other  cases  almost  or  altogether  wanting, 
and  the  coal  measures  then  repose  directly  upon  the  Waver- 
ley  sandstone  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous. 

§  7.  It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  account  that  the 
Lower  Coal  series  in  northern  Ohio  offers  considerable  varia- 
tions not  only  in  the  thickness  of  the  coal  seams  and  of  the 
intervening  strata,  but  also  in  the  occasional  absence  of  some 
of  the  members,  and,  it  may  be  added,  in  the  quality  of  the 
same  seam  of  coal  in  different  parts  of  its  distribution. 
These  various  irregularities  are  equally  noticeable  in  other 
parts  of  the  great  Appalachian  basin,  and,  as  long  since  re- 
marked by  Lesley,  are  much  more  marked  in  the  Lower 
than  in  the  Upper  Coal  series. 

§  8.  When  we  come  to  study  the  Lower  Coal  measures 
in  the  southern  part  of  Ohio  we  find  that  there  have  been 
some  differences  of  opinion  as  to  the  precise  equivalence 


OF   SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


of  the  individual  beds  with  tliosc  in  the  north.  It  is  not 
easy  to  prove  tliat  the  lowest  coal  seam  of  Jacltson  county 
is  a  continuation  of  the  lowest  seam  of  Mahoning  county, 
yet  if  we  reckon  downward  from  the  Pittsburgh  seam  there 
appears  such  a  general  correspondence  as  leads  us  to  con- 
clude that  the  lower  measures  of  the  two  regions  arc,  if 
not  identical,  very  similar. 

§  9.  Tiie  characteristic  seam  of  the  Lower  Coal  series 
in  the  southern  region  is  the  Xclsonville  or  Straitsville  scam, 
which  lies,  according  to  Prof.  Andrews,  about  420  feet  below 
the  Pittsburgh  or  Pomeroy  seam,  and  is,  with  great  reason, 
regarded  by  Xewberry  as  Coal  6  of  his  scries,  the  equivalent 
of  the  Upper  Freeport  of  Pennsylvania.  This  coal  is,  to  the 
southwest,  in  Jackson  and  Vinton  counties,  overlaid  by  an 
ore-bearing  limestone,  and  is  there  known  as  the  Limestone 
coal.  Beneath  this  there  arc  several  workable  coal  seams ; 
near  the  town  of  Jackson  in  Lick  township  arc  found,  ac- 
cording to  Prof.  Andrews,  not  less  than  three  seams  of  dr}'- 
burning  coal  from  three  to  four  feet  in  thickness,  above  which 
is  a  seam  of  cannel.  A  canncl  coal,  probably  the  same,  ap- 
pears in  several  sections  in  this  region  about  seventy-five 
feet  below  the  Limestone  coal.  According  to  data  furnished 
me  by  Mr.  XL  Wells,  there  are  in  Milton  township  within  a 
vertical  distance  of  275  feet  beneath  the  last  named  coal, 
four  and  probably  five  coal  scams,  one  of  which  lies  about 
twenty-five  feet  below  the  Limestone  coal.  Beneath  this  is 
the  cannel,  which  is  from  one  and  a  half  to  four  feet  in 
thickness,  which  has  been  mined  to  some  extent  as  a  gas- 
coal,  while  the  lowest  seam,  now  mined  at  Wellston  in  Mil- 
ton, is  a  dry-burning  coal  from  four  to  nearly  five  feet  in 
thickness.  It  is  supposed  to  I)e  the  same  with  the  lower  or 
shaft-coal  mined  at  Jackson,  and  both  are  used  with  irreat 
success  as  furnace-coals,  as  is  also  a  hiirhcr  seam  from  two 
and  a  half  to  throe  and  a  half  feet  thick  mined  at  Jackson 
and  known  as  the  hill-coal. 


6 


THE   COAL   AND   IRON   REGION 


§  10.  Tho  Nelsoiiville  coal,  as  we  go  northeast  into  Vin- 
ton, Hocking,  Athens  and  Perry  counties,  is  no  longer 
overlaid  by  the  limestone  band  to  which  it  owes  its  name  to 
the  southward,  but  assumes  a  greater  importance,  and  from 
a  thickness  of  four  feet  rises  to  six  and  seven,  and  finally  in 
parts  of  Perry  county  attains  eleven  and  even  thirteen  feet. 
From  its  superior  quality  and  its  great  development  it  be- 
comes tiie  most  important  coal  seam  in  Ohio.  Through- 
out this  region  it  is  known  as  the  Nelsonville  or  Straitsville 
seam  or  tho  Great  Vein,  but  farther  northward,  where  it 
becomes  tliinner,  as  the  Upper  New  Lexington  coal. 

§  11.  At  a  distance  of  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  above  the 
great  vein   there   is   found   in   some   parts   of  this 


region 


another  seam  of  coal  which  generally  attains  a  thickness  of 
four  feet  or  more,  and  is  described  by  Prof.  Andrews  as  the 
Norris  or  Middle  scam,  from  the  fact  tliat  it  is  intermediate 
between  tho  Nelsonville  and  a  still  higher  one  known  as  the 
Baylcy's  Hun  or  Stallsmith  coal,  which  lies  from  eiglity  to 
one  hundred  feet  al)ove  the  Nelsonville,  and  is  a  highly  bit- 
uminous coking  coal,  attaining  a  thickness  of  four  and  five 
feet.  In  some  parts;  of  this  region  there  are  apparently  ir- 
regularities in  the  strata  immediately  above  the  great  vein, 
the  intervals  between  the  coals  varying ;  while  occasionally 
the  middle  seam  appears  to  be  absent.  Tliis  latter  may  be 
provisionally  designated  as  Coal  Ga,  while  the  upper  seam 
is  regarded  as  Coal  7. 

§  12.  It  is  not  easy  in  this  region  to  fix  upon  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  Mahoning  sandstone  of  the  north,  or  to 
say  whether  one  or  both  of  the  seams  just  named  belong  to 
the  so-called  barren  measures.  They  are  however  succeeded 
by  a  considerable  thickness  of  strata  nearly  destitute  of  coal, 
which  are  well  seen  along  the  Hue  of  the  Marietta  and  Cin- 
cinnati railroad  to  the  east  of  Athens  station.  These  in- 
clude two  considerable  deposits  of  limestone,  the  first  of 
which,  according  to  Andrews,  is  two   hundred  feet  above 


or   SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


the  Nelsonvillo  coal,  and  the  second  eighty  feet  above  the 
hist ;  while  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  higher,  or  four  hun- 
dred and  twenty  foot  above  the  Nelsonvllle  seam,  we  find  the 
Federal  Creek  or  Ponieroy  coal,  which  is  the  Pittsburgh 
seam,  already  mentioned  as  forming  the  base  of  the  Upper 
Coal  series.  This  seam  attains  a  remarkable  development  in 
some  of  the  tributaries  of  Federal  Creek  in  lierne  and  Komo 
in  Atheiis  coimty,  not  far  from  Big  Run  station  on  the  M. 
&  C.  railroad,  exhibiting  in  some  parts  not  less  than  nine 
feet  of  coking  coal  of  superior  quality.  Above  this  seam 
are  several  others  of  less  importance  which  need  not  now 
occupy  our  attention. 

§  13.  Small  formations  of  limestone  are  found  at  several 
horizons  interstratificd  with  the  sandstones  and  shales  of  the 
coal  measures  above  described,  but  are  often  local  and  in- 
terrupted. They  are  frequently  associated  with  a  flinty 
quartz  or  chert,  which  in  some  localities  yields  excellent  mill- 
stones. This  material,  known  as  buhrstone,  was  formerly 
supposed  to  be  confined  to  the  vicinity  of  a  single  lime- 
stone band  which,  to  the  northward,  overlies  Coal  3,  and  this, 
according  to  Newberry,  led  to  some  mistakes  in  the  identifi- 
cation of  coal  seams.  There  are  in  reality  layers  of  buhr- 
stone with  limestone  at  several  horizons  in  the  coal  measures. 

§  14.  The  iron  ores  which  are  interstratificd  with  the  coal 
measures  in  Ohio  are  of  great  importance,  and  are  smelted 
extensively  in  various  parts  of  the  state.  These  ores,  which 
are  found  at  several  horizons  in  both  the  lower  and  upper 
series,  are  most  frequently  carbonates,  sometimes  in  sheets, 
and  at  other  times  nodular,  while  they  occasionally  assimic  the 
form  of  black-band.  At  and  near  their  outcrops  these  carl)on- 
ated  ores  are  frequently  changed  into  limonitcs.  More  rarely 
a  compact  red  hematite,  very  hard  and  dense,  is  met  with.  In 
the  northern  part  of  the  state  a  stratum  of  ore  is  found  be- 
neath the  lowest  coal ;  this  is  sometimes  a  black-band  ore,  as 
in  Mahoning  county,  where  it  has  long  been  smelted.    Passing 


8 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  REOION 


over  scvei'iil  layers  of  ore  above  this,  we  note  in  the  nortii  a 
band  of  nodular  ore  just  above  Coal  5  (which  possibly  cor- 
responds to  a  layer  of  kidney  ore  below  the  <!:rcat  vein  in  the 
south)  and  u  still  hi<,dior  layer  which  occurs  iuiinodiately 
over  Coal  7,  and  is  in  parts  of  Tuscarawas  and  Stark  counties, 
a  black-band  from  sixteen  to  twenty  feet  in  thickness  ;  while 
elsewhere  it  is  Avholly  or  in  part  a  nodular  carbonate  ore,  and 
is  sometimes  associated  with  a  limestone,  often  itself  fer- 


ruf^inous. 


§  15.  It  is  however  in  the  southern  counties  that  these 
ores  are  best  known,  where,  in  the  Hanging  Ilock  region, 
they  have  long  been  mined  and  smelted  on  a  great  scale. 
Beneath  the  Limestone  coal  are  several  layers  of  ore  of 
considerable  importance,  including,  in  Jackso'.^  county,  two 
or  more  of  the  so-called  block  ores;  while  in  Milton,  about 
thirty  feet  above  what  is  considered  the  lowest  coal,  is  a  layer 
of  nodular  red  nematite  of  great  hardness  and  density',  said 
by  Mr.  Wells  to  be  about  twenty  inches  in  thickness.  From 
twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  below  the  Limestone  coal  is  a  layer 
of  kidney  or  nodular  carbonate  ore  varying  from  six  inches 
to  more  than  a  foot  in  thickness,  while  immediately  above 
the  limestone  which  overlies  the  coal  just  named,  the 
equivalent  of  the  great  vein,  is  the  so-called  limestone-ore, 
the  most  important  deposit  in  the  region,  which  varies  from 
a  few  inches  to  three  feet,  and  even  six  feet  in  thickness. 

§  1(5.  As  we  go  northeastward  this  limestone,  as  already 
said,  is  no  longer  found  above  the  great  vein  or  Nelsonvillo 
seam,  an<l  the  accompanying  ore  is  also  absent.  In  the 
valley  of  the  Hocking  River,  and  to  the  northward,  the  layer 
of  kidney  ore,  frequently  a  foot  or  more  iji  thickness,  is 
found  beneath  the  great  seam,  sometimes  at  a  distance  of 
ten  or  twelve  feet,  but  elsewhere  separated  from  the  coal 
only  by  two  or  three  feet  of  fire-clay.  Another  and  an 
important  band  of  ore,  associated  with  u  thin  layer  of  lime- 
stone, lies  a  little  above  the  Norris  or  middle  scam,  and 


OF   SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


9 


aomotinips  attains  a  thiokness,  accord in*:^  to  Mr.  Road  of  the 
geological  .survey,  of  four  aud  a  half  feet.  Little  attention 
has  been  paid  to  the  iron  ores  in  these  higher  portions  of  the 
coal  measures,  since  the  existing  furnaces  have  hitherto  got 
their  supplies  from  the  lower  layers  already  noticed.  Ac- 
cording to  the  statements  of  the  llev.  J.  P.  Wethee,  cited  by 
Prof.  Andrews,  there  are  in  Dover  and  Trimble  townships 
and  their  vicinity,  between  the  Bayley's  Kun  and  Federal 
Creek  or  Pomero}' coal  seams,  not  less  than  seven  workable 
layers  of  iron  ore,  the  most,  if  not  all  of  which,  are  equal  in 
thickness  aud  in  richness  to  the  great  limestone  ore  stratmn 
of  the  southern  counties.  These  various  ores  will  be  noticed 
farther  on. 

§  17.  The  sandstones  which  lie  beneath  the  coal  measures 
in  southern  Ohio,  atFord  in  many  parts  jw'troleum,  and  abomid 
in  brines,  which  arc  obtained  by  Ijoring.  ui<l  are  used  for  the 
manufacture  of  salt.  At  Pomeroy,  whert  uo  wells  are  sunk 
through  the  whole  of  the  Lower  Coal  '<>s,  the  brine  is 
reached  at  a  depth  of  about  1000  feet,  but  to  the  north- 
westward and  in  the  Hocking  valley  it  is  found  at  700  feet. 
The  seat  of  these  brines  is  in  the  Lower  Carboniferous  rocks, 
known  in  Ohio  as  the  Waverley  and  Logan  sandstones.  Ac- 
cording to  Prof.  Andrews,  however,  good  brines  are,  in  Noble 
and  Washington  counties,  obtained  from  the  higher  sand- 
stones interstratified  with  the  coal  measures,  and  consequent- 
ly at  a  less  depth.  The  value  of  the  salt  made  in  Ohio,  in 
1870,  was  estimated  at  a  little  over  three-quarters  of  a  mil- 
lion of  dollars,  of  which  two-thirds  was  produced  in  INIeigs 
county.  There  arc  however  salt-wells  in  Guernsey,  iMuskin- 
gum,  Tuscarawas,  Morgan,  Perry  and  Athens  counties. 

§  18.  The  strata  of  the  coal  formation  in  eastern  Ohio 
are  very  slightly  inclined,  and  are  usually  described  as 
having  a  uniform  dip  to  the  south  of  east.  It  has,  however, 
been  shown  by  Newberry  that  they  form  several  troughs 
with  a  general  northeast  and  southwest  direction,  the  strata 


10 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  REGION 


on  the  eastern  side  of  these  having  a  slight  dip  to  the  north- 
westward. By  these  gentle  undulations  the  beds  are  kept  near 
the  surf;;ce,  so  that  the  section  on  the  east  line  of  Columbiant^ 
county  is  the  same  with  that  100  miles  farther  eastward 
near  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania ;  the  average  dip  across  this 
region  not  exceeding  three  feet  in  a  mile.  Farther  to  the 
southwest  the  inclination  of  the  strata  is  grer  jr,  but  rarely, 
according  to  Andrews,  exceeds  thirty  fecc  ':j  the  mile,  its 
direction  l)eing  stated  at  from  10°  to  20°  south  of  east.  These 
slight  undulations  of  the  strata  are  seldom  or  never  accompa- 
nied by  faults,  and  are  the  feeble  representatives  of  the  great 
flexures  which  have  so  much  disturbed  the  eastern  part  of 
the  coal  basin. 

§  19.  Having  thus  given  a  general  notion  of  the  Lower 
Coal  measures  of  Ohio,  we  shall  now  proceed  to  a  more 
detailed  description  of  Coal  No.  G,  being  the  Nelsonville  or 
Straitsville  seam,  locally  known  as  the  great  vein,  which 
from  its  thickness,  position  and  valuable  qualities  is  the  most 
important  coal  in  the  state.  Its  distribution,  its  variations  in 
thickness,  its  character  and  uses  will  bo  described,  to  be 
followed  by  a  similar  description  of  Coals  5,  Ga  and  7.  An 
account  of  the  nature,  character  and  uses  of  all  of  these  coals 
will  then  be  given,  with  numerous  analysed  by  Prof.  T.  G. 
"VVormle}'',  the  chemist  of  the  Ohio  geological  survey.  These 
will  be  followed  by  observations  on  the  value  of  the  coal  of 
the  great  vein  for  iron-making,  as  a  furnace-coal,  in  which 
connection  some  facts  will  be  given  with  regard  to  the  iMitivo 
iron  ores,  their  extent,  their  importance  and  the  cost  of 
mining  and  smelting  them,  the  importation  of  foreign  ores, 
and  the  future  of  the  iron-industry  in  Ohio,  to  be  followed 
with  some  details  with  regard  to  the  other  furnace-coals. 
To  this  will  I)e  added  considerations  on  the  commercial  im- 
portance of  the  coals  of  the  Hocking  Valley  in  relation  to 
the  markets  of  the  north  and  west,  with  statistics  of  the  coal 
trade  of  these  rcjjions. 


OF   SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


n 


THE  HOCKING  VALLEY  COAL  FIELD. 


§  20.  The  seam  of  coal  which  -vve  have  referred  to  No.  6 
of  Dr.  Newberry's  series,  or  the  L^^pper  Frceport  of  Penn- 
sylvania, is,  as  we  have  seer,  known  in  some  paits  of 
southern  Ohio  as  the  Limestone  coal,  from  the  layer  of 
limestone  (bearing  iron  ore)  which  there  rests  upon  it.  The 
limestone  is  found  in  this  position  in  Jackson  county,  and  as 
far  northward  as  Elk  and  Madison  in  Vinton  county,  beycnd 
which  it  is  not  known.  The  underlying  coal  in  the  town- 
ships just  named,  and  in  Milton,  Jackson  county,  is  from 
3'  to  4'  in  thickness,  and  is  described  as  a  good  dry- 
burning  coal,  Avhich  is  mined  in  some  localities.  Towards 
the  Ohio  Kiver  it  becomes  thinner,  and  in  some  places  only 
a  trace  of  the  seam  is  found,  but  in  Kentucky  it  again  be- 
comes of  some  importance. 

§  2L  Passing  northwards  we  leave  the  overlying  lime- 
stone in  Elk  and  Madison,  when  the  coal  becomes  thicker,  and 
is  known  as  the  great  vein.  On  the  Marietta  and  Cincinnati 
railroad,  a  little  west  of  Hope  station,  this  seam  is  exposed 
in  the  valley  of  Raccoon  Creek,  in  section  19  of  Brown  town- 
ship, but  its  thickness  there  cannot  be  determined.  Aliout 
four  miles  to  the  northward,  after  passing  over  the  hills, 
the  great  vein  is  exposed  in  section  29  of  the  same  township, 
in  the  valley  of  Two-Mile  Kun,  where  I  found  exposed  a 
thickness  of  6'  8",  with  two  thin  clay  partings.  About 
three  miles  to  the  northeast  of  this,  it  again  appears  in  sec- 
tion 7  of  the  townshii)  of  Starr,  Hocking  count}',  on  the 
land  of  Mr.  Simms,  where  the  coal  is  mined  for  local  use, 
and  measures  G'  G".  Both  in  Starr  and  in  Brown  it  was 
seen  to  be  underlaid  at  a  depth  of  about  twenty-five  feet  by 
a  seam  of  coal,  and  overlaid  by  two  others,  all  of  which  will 
be  noticed  in  their  place. 

§  22.   To  the   eastward  of  Brown,  lie  the  townships  of 


' 


12 


THE  COAL  AND  lUON  REGION 


:'i 


Waterloo  and  Athens  in  Athens  county.  These,  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe,  are  underlaid  by  the  great  vein, 
which  dips  with  the  strata  to  the  south  of  east,  at  a  slight 
angle.  A  boring  made  last  winter  in  section  32  of  Water- 
loo, not  far  from  the  western  border  of  the  township,  and 
a  few  rods  north  of  the  Marietta  and  Cincinnati  Railroad, 
showed,  according  to  the  record  furnished  me  by  J.  M. 
Welch,  Esq.,  of  Athens,  at  a  distance  of  seventy  feet  below 
the  valley,  a  seam  of  coal  probably  not  less  than  G'  thick. 
It  had  been  penetrated  some  inches  before  the  coal  was  de- 
tected, after  which  5'  4"  Avere  passed  through.  Farther  to 
the  northeast  it  is  reported  to  have  been  found  in  fin-mer 
borings  for  oil,  in  section  16  of  Waterloo,  at  a  depth  of 
seventy-six  feet,  and  in  section  4  at  one  hundred  and  eight 
feet,  with  a  thickness  of  iV. 

§  23.  In  Athens  township,  and  near  the  town  of  that 
name,  the  coal  of  the  great  vein  was  reached  some  years 
ago  by  a  shaft  at  a  depth  of  two  hundred  feet,  but  the  scam 
was  found  to  be  irregular,  though  in  parts  5'  G",  and  the 
workiu":  was  abandoned.  Prof.  Andrews  sujrgests  that  it 
mav  be  only  a  local  irreiridaritv  since,  in  a  borini;  for  salt, 
three  miles  to  the  west,  the  coal  was  found  at  one  hundred 
and  forty  feet,  and  also  in  another  boring  two  miles  to  the 
north,  in  both  with  a  thickness  of  G'.  Nothing  is  known  of 
it  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township  of  Athens. 

§  24.  Taking  the  townships  in  successive  ranges  from 
west  to  east,  we  have  to  the  north  of  Brown,  Waterloo  and 
Athens,  the  townships  (;f  Starr  in  Hocking  county,  and 
York  and  Dover  in  Athens  county.  A  large  part  of  Hrowi., 
Starr  and  York,  consists  of  bold,  elevated  land,  beloiiging 
to  what  are  known  as  the  Hocking  Hills,  and  it  is  only 
in  the  valleys  that  the  great  vein  of  coal  is  exposed.  Wo 
have  already,  in  §  21,  noticed  its  occurrence  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Starr,  in  section  7,  with  a  thickness  of  G'  G", 
and  it  is  said  in  the  vicinity  to  have  a  thickness  of  7'.     It  is 


OF   SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


13 


not  known  how  far  to  the  westward  in  Starr  this  vein  may 
extend,  but  tlie  strata  in  the  western  part  of  the  township 
appear  to  hek)ng  to  a  lower  liorizon. 

§  25.  Passing  eastward  into  York,  in  the  nortliern  part  of 
which,  m  section  24,  is  situated  Nelsonville,  we  tind  the 
great  vein  hirgely  mined  at  various  points  along  the  line 
of  the  Columhus  and  Hocking  Valley  railroad,  which  fol- 


lows the  valley  of  the  Hocking  R 


which  the  coal 


iver,  along  both  sides  of 


of  the  township,  where  the 


s  exposed,  nearly  to  the  southeastern  cor 


ncr 


vein  siidcs  beneath  the  water-level. 


At  Lick  Run  mine  in  fraction  18,  and 

section  2\),  the  coal  has  a  thickness  of  0'  G"  and  iV  5" 


it  lirooks's  mine 


two  clay  partings,  and  yields  six  feet  of  cl 
the  general  yield  of  the  workings  alon«'  ti 
thi.> 


in 


with 


can  coal,  which  is 
le  river  vallev  in 


vicinity.  In  the  valley  of  Spring  Branch,  in  section  32 
ot  lork,  J  found  the  seam  exposed  with  a  thickness  of  0'  G", 
and  again  a1)out  two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  northeast  it 
ippears  in  the  valley  of  Meeker's  Run,  with  a  thickness  of 


*J',  including  a  foot  of  shal 


Bessemer,  in  section  12,  of  York,  th 


e  near   the    upper   i)art.     Ne 


ir 


Mr.  M.  C.  Read  as  1 


e  seam  is  described  by 


th 


lavmg  a  thickness  of  [}'  7",  includ 


roe  clay  partings  with  an  aggregate  thicki 


stead  of  two,  as  f 


less  o 


f  1, 


n 


ener 


■ally 


ing 
in- 


seen. 


§2G.    We  find,  in  fact,  at  Nel 


sonville.  Lick  Run  and  el.* 


where  in  this  vicinity,  that  the  shale  which  forms  tl 
the 

sometimes  very  thin  and  at  other  tin 


ic  roo 


seam  often  carries  above   it  a   layer  of  coal,  which 


f  of 


IS 


les  measures  a  foot  or 


more.     The  shale  parting  which  divides  this  from  the  body 


of  the   vei 
sidt 


n,  may  also  be  thin,  as  at  Bessemer,  or  of 


ral)le  thickness.     In  the  hill  behind  Nelsonvill 
ing  to  Andrews,  there  is  found  a  layer  of  from  G' 


con- 


coal,  separated  from  the  mass  oC  tl 


le 


c,  accord- 
to  24"  of 
great  vein  by  3'  [)" 
of  shale.  This  upper  coal,  when  present,  is  alwa>s  lelt  be- 
hind in  mining,  as  being  of  inferior  quality.  The  six  feet  of 
good  coal  in  this  vicinity  are  from  the  lower  three  layers. 


14 


THE    COAL   AND   IRON   REGION 


This  coal  is  also  mined  at  tlie  mouth  of  Flooclwood  Creek, 
where  its  thickness  is  in  some  parts  reduced  to  5'  2".  This 
diminution  is  local,  and  farther  on  in  the  drift  the  scam  attains 
6'  2",  while  to  the  northeast,  in  section  4,  it  measures  9'. 

§  27.  In  the  township  of  Dover,  which  adjoins  York 
on  the  east,  the  great  vein  has  sunk  below  water-level  and 
is  reached  by  shafts.  On  the  line  of  the  railroad  in  the 
southwest  part  of  the  township,  near  the  mouth  of  Ilamley's 
Run,  the  coal  is  extensively  mined  by  a  shaft  of  sixty-nine 
feet.  I  was  informed  that  6'  were  extracted,  leaving  2'  of 
inferior  quality  in  the  upper  part  of  the  seam.  At  Chauncey, 
in  section  20  of  Dover,  and  in  Salina  a  little  farther  to  the 
southwest,  the  coal  is  mined  for  the  manufacture  of  salt,  at 
a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  has  a  thickness  of  G'  and 
upwards.  Nothing  is  known  of  this  coal  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Dover,  and  it  is  not  improbable,  from  the  observations  at 
Athens,  that  it  may  thin  out  to  the  southeast. 

§  28.  Coming  now  to  the  next  range  of  townships  to 
the  north,  we  have  Green  and  Ward  in  Hocking  county, 
and  Trimble  in  Athens  county.  The  trend  of  the  outcrop 
of  the  coal  strata  being  to  the  east  of  north,  the  great  vein 
is  contined  to  the  southeast  part  of  Green,  where  it  is  found 
in  the  hills  and  is   largely   miiicd    at   Ilaydenville,  with  a 


rJ  ril 


thickness  of  6'  4".     Elsewhere  in  this  vicinit}-  it  is  5'  7 

§  2i).  The  high  lands  of  Ward  everywhere  contain  the 
great  vein.  This  township  is  traversed  oI)li(picly  in  its 
Avestern  part  by  Monday  Creek,  and  along  its  eastern  border 
by  Snow  Fork,  a  tributary  of  the  latter.  In  the  southern 
part  of  the  township  the  coal  is  G'  or  a  little  more,  but  its 
thickness  augments  to  the  northward,  and  in  section  24,  near 
the  northwest  corner,  on  Lost  Run  it  is  described  as  being 
10' G".  In  the  valley  of  Snow  Fork,  on  the  eastern  border 
of  the  township,  the  coal  is  seen  at  various  points  measur- 
ing 7',  d'  and  10'. 

§  30.   Trimble  township,   which  lies  to  tho  eastward  of 


OF   SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


15 


Ward,  is  traversed  in  its  eastern  part  from  north  to  south  by 
Sunday  Creek,  which  passes  thence  nearly  through  the  mid- 
dle of  Dover  and  falls  into  the  Hocking  in  the  southern  part 
of  this  township.  The  great  vein  in  the  western  part  of 
Trimble  is  exposed  along  the  valley  of  the  Snow  Fork,  where 
in  section  31  it  measures  10',  but  to  the  eastward  sinks  be- 
neath water-level,  dipping  to  the  south  of  east  at  the  rate  of 
about  thirty  feet  in  a  mile.  In  the  southeastern  part  of  tho 
township  in  Sunday  Creek  valley  a  recent  boring  in  section 
7,  showed  the  vein  Mith  a  thickness  of  8'  4"  at  eighty-four 
feet  below  the  surface.  In  the  southern  part  of  tho  town- 
ship borings  have  lately  been  made  on  Green's  Run  and  Bay- 
ley's  Run,  showing  the  great  vein  7',  8'  2"  and  10'  at  depths 
of  from  eighty  to  ninety  feet  below  the  surface  i»i  the  lower 
valleys.  Some  of  these  borings  are  in  the  northern  part 
of  Dover,  but  I  have  not  the  means  of  giving  their  exact  lo- 
calities. Various  borings  to  the  northward,  along  the  valley 
of  Sunday  Creek  in  Trimble,  show  tho  great  vein  to  be  from 
8'  6"  to  12'  2". 

§  31.  The  next  line  of  townships  to  the  north  includes, 
beginning  at  the  west,  Monday  Creek  township  in  Perry 
county  with  the  narrow  Gore  of  Falls  to  tho  south  of  it. 
To  the  east  of  these  lies  Salt  Lick,  followed  by  Muuroe, 
both  also  in  Perry  county.  In  the  tirst  named  of  these 
townships  the  great  vein  appears  in  the  hills  in  the  eastern 
part,  two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Maxville,  with  a  thickness 
of  7'  4"  to  7'  8".     It  is  also  said  to  be  mined  in  the  Gore. 

§  32.  In  Salt  Lick,  the  great  vein  is  largely  mined,  this 
township  and  York  being  as  yet  the  only  portions  of  tho 
Hocking  valley  Held  in  which  important  mining  operations 
arc  carried  on.  A  branch  of  the  Columbus  and  Hocking 
Valley  railroad  from  Logan,  entering  Salt  Lick  from  the  west, 
has  its  terminus  at  New  Straitsville,  while  from  the  north 
comes  tho  Newark,  Somerset  and  Straitsville  railroad,  tho 
present  terminus  of  which  is  at  Shawuec.     Both  of  these 


10 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  REGION 


points  are  in  the  western  part  of  the  township,  where  the  coal 
is  found  only  in  the  hills,  and  is  advantageously  mined  by 
drifting.  The  vein  in  this  vicinity  measures  from  9'  to  11', 
and  includes  two  cla}^  partings.  In  various  other  parts  of  the 
township  its  thickness  varies  from  a  little  over  0'  to  I)'  and 
10'.  The  mines  of  the  Straitsville  Cannel  Company  of  New 
York,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township  on  the  head-waters 
of  the  west  branch  of  Sunday  Creek,  are  said  to  have  10'  of 
coal  on  an  average.  In  some  parts  of  this  township  the  coal 
for  one  or  two  feet  in  the  upper  part  of  the  seam  is  slaty  and 
pyritous,  and  this  having  been  injudiciously  mixed  with  the 
lower  i)ortions,  gave  for  a  time  a  bad  repute  to  the  Straits- 
ville  coal.     This  upper  part  is  now  in  these  cases  rejected. 

§  33.  A  process  of  erosion  during  the  deposition  of  the 
coal  measures,  and  prior  to  the  formation  of  the  overlying 
coal  scams  has,  according  to  Andrews,  locally  aH'ccted  the 
great  vein  in  the  eastern  part  of  Salt  Lick  township  and  the 
western  part  of  jNlunroe  on  the  tributaries  of  Sunday  Creek. 
The  shale,  which  usually  forms  the  roof,  is  cut  away,  and 
in  some  cases,  the  coal  itself,  the  seam  being  reduced  to 
three  or  four  feet,  or  entirely  wanting,  as  in  one  locality  in 
section  2-1  of  Salt  Lick.  Andrews  describes  a  case  where 
the  coal,  Avith  a  thickness  of  10',  has  been  cut  sharply  off. 
This  work  appears  to  have  been  done  by  currents  flowing  in 
channels  which  were  subsequently  tilled  up  by  sand.  I  have 
seen  in  York  an  irregular  cavity  in  the  ui)[)er  part  of  the  coal 
tilled  in  this  manner  by  sandstone,  and  similar  cavities  are 
also  occasionally  occupied  by  clay.  The  strata  inuncdiately 
above  the  great  vein  seem  in  many  parts  to  have  been  con- 
siderably disturbed  by  this  ancient  erosion,  but  the  breaks 
in  the  continuity  of  the  coal  seam  itself  are,  according  to 
Andrews,  rare  and  of  very  limited  extent. 

§  31.  To  the  east  of  Salt  Lick  township  lies  iMunroc, 
which  is  traversed  from  north  to  south  by  Sunday  Creek. 
In  the  western  part  the  coal  occurs  above  water-level,  and  in 


OF   SOUTIIEItX    OHIO. 


17 


section  18,  wliorc  it 


with  two  partiiio-.s  moa 


is  exposed  in  ii  vallov,  shows  12'  G' 


tl 


•IS,  ,11  section  7,  it  is  12',  wiiile  in  sect 


curing  togctiioi-  6".     To  the  north  of 


velopment  of  i:V  2",  with  4"  of  ,.hal 


ion  8  it  attains  a  d( 


section  9  is  an  outcrop  where  it  has  iono- 1 


e  in  two  partiiiirs.     Ii 


use,  and  shows  a  thickness  of  11'.     In  tiie  east 
township  it  is  reached  l)v  I 


)een  mined  tor  local 
ern  part  of  the 


it  was  11'  G"  at  a  depth  of  twenty-nine  feet,  whil 
23,  at  a  depth  of  (ifty-tliree  feet,  the  coal 


)orings;  in  section  15,  nearFerrara, 

e  in  section 


and 


measured  10'  10' 


in  section  27  at  sixty  feet  its  thickness  was  [)'  ( 


§  35.    To  the   nortli   of  the  hist 


lind  Jackson,  and  to  tl 


10  east  of  tiiese  P'\h 


range  of  townsjiips  we 


e  and  IJear/iekl. 


lil   in   Perry  connty,  together  with  the   small  townshiu   of 
easant  interposed,  consistinj^  of  sixteen  sect 


PI 


1> 
ions  which  arc 


taken  from  the  surrounding  townships  of  Salt  Lick,  .M„., 
Pike  and  Bearlield.     The  great  vein  of  coal  is  traced  a'l 
its  western  outcrop  into  the  hills  in  the  southeast., 
of  Jackson,  hut  is  there  reduced  to  a  thickness  of  I 


nnroe. 


onir 


ern  corner 


In  Pike,  near  tl 


ess  til; 


ui 


le  villa-xe  of  IJiistoI  i 


u  section  30,  and 


igain  to  the  northeast  in  section  IG,  it  is  found  in  the  liilh 
ivith  a  thickness  of  only  4'.     In  both  id 


places  it  shows  the 


d  partings,  and  the  upper  portion  is  inferior.     15evond  tl 


US- 


it  is  known  in  tl 


on  the  Cincinnati   and    Musk 


le  northern  [)art  of  Pike  at  New  I 


us 


■ex  in '.'•(on 


also  it  has  a  thickness  of  about  4'.    It  is  her 


ingum  Valley  railroad,  Avh 


ere 


siderahle  extent,  and  is  I 


e  mined  to  a  con- 


coal,  to  distiiuniish  it  f 


known  as  the  Upper  Xcw  Lexlnirt 


on 


it,  which  is  al 


roni  another  si'ani  tweiitv-tliree  helo 


so  miiuM 


1  at  tl 


\Y 


u^  place. 


§  3G.    The   rpper   Xew    Lexin^t 


^'toii   coal,   the  diminished 


representative  of  the  great  vein,  is  traced  through  tl 
ern  part  of  Bearlield,  wUh  a  thickness  of  4'  and  1 
to  the  northward,  at  McLunev's  station,  in  II 


le  west- 


'  G' 


nd 


C.   &  M.  V.   R.  K.    is   mined,  where  it  has  a  thicl 


4'  8' 


of  York,  Morira 


irrison,  on  the 


kness  ot 


of  which  the  upper  13"  are  rejected.     In  the  town,.| 


)M 


n  county,  which  joins  Harrison  on  (he 


east, 


18 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  REGION 


this  coal  is  also  seen  Avith  a  thickness  of  4'  2",  and  with  the 
usual  partings,  and  it  has  been  traced  farther  nortlnvard  into 
jNIuskinguni  county.  Hero  it  is  mined  in  Newton,  wliere,  like 
the  underlying  seam,  it  is  a  caking  coal.  To  the  northeastward 
the  Coal  No.  G  is,  according  to  Newberry,  smooth,  bright, 
very  adhesive  in  the  Hrc,  and  generally  highly  sulpluu'ous. 

§  37.  In  the  northeast  part  of  Pleasant  township  the 
great  vein  is  found  with  a  thickness  of  5'  to  i)'  0",  and  as 
we  follow  to  the  southeast  the  valley  of  the  Moxahala  in- 
creases to  G'  and  7',  and  tinally,  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
township,  on  the  confines  of  Munroe,  attains  its  full  develop- 
ment of  11' and  12'. 

§  38.  Wo  have  thus  followed  the  Upper  Frecport,  or 
Nelsonville  coal,  from  the  southward,  where  it  is  thin  and 
unimportant,  up  to  the  townships  of  Brown,  Waterloo  and 
Athens,  in  which  it  has  a  thickness  of  G'  or  more,  and  thence 
northeastward  along  its  western  outcrop,  through  Starr,  Green 
and  Monday  Creek,  where  it  attains  the  same,  or  greater 
thickness,  until  in  Pike  or  Harrison  we  have  found  it  dimin- 
ished to  4',  and  deteriorated  in  quality,  at  least  in  the  ui)per 
portion  of  the  seam.  Proceeding  to  the  southeastward 
from  the  outcrop,  we  have  seen  it  in  York,  Dover,  AVard, 
Trimble,  Salt  Lick,  ^Nlunroc  and  Pleasant  townships,  rang- 
ing from  iV  to  7',  10'  and  even  12'  and  13'  in  thickness.  We 
have  found  that  in  the  southeast  part  of  jNInnroe,  in  the 
greater  part  of  Trimble,  throughout  Dover  and  Athens,  and 
in  parts  of  York  and  Waterloo,  the  southeastern  dip  of  the 
strata  carries  the  great  vein  beneath  tiio  water-level ;  while 
farther  to  the  northwest  it  lies  in  the  hills  and  has  been  re- 
moved from  the  lower  levels.  To  the  south  and  east  of  the 
townships  named,  nothing  is  kno\Vn  of  this  seam  of  coal, 
but  it  will  probably  be  found  to  thin  out  in  this  as  in  all 
other  directions. 

§  39.  It  will  bo  noticed  that  this  great  development  to 
the  north  and  east  of  the  Hocking  is  confined  to  tlie  region 


OF   SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


19 


drained  hy  tho  tributarir'S  of  this  river,  and  the  same  is  true 
of  tho  portion  to  the  south  except  Brown  and  small  portions 
of  Starr,  York  and  Waterloo,  from  which  the  waters  flow 
southwest  to  the  liaccoon  Itivcr.  Wo  are  thus  justiticd  in 
applying  to  this  region  the  name  frequently  given  to  it  of 
tho  Hocking  valley  coal  lield. 

§  40.  In  estimating  tho  area  of  this  field,  or  rather  that 
over  which  the  coal  of  the  great  vein  is  to  be  found  with 
a  thickness  of  (5'  and  upwards,  it  must  be  remembered  that 
excei)t  in  these  parts  in  the  southeast  whore  it  lies  beneath 
the  water-level,  more  or  less  of  the  coal  has  been  removed 
in  the  erosion  of  tho  valleys.  Without  a  careful  tojx)- 
graphical  survey  of  the  region,  any  attempt  to  detcrmino 
tho  amount  thus  removed  must  be  but  a  guess.  It  is,  I 
think,  probable  that  the  areas  of  tho  coal  lying  in  tho  hills 
of  Starr,  Green  and  Monday  Creek  townships,  along  tho 
western  border  of  the  tield,  are  not  more  than  equal  to 
tho  portions  which  have  been  cut  away  from  tho  valleys  of 
the  townships  to  the  eastward.  Kegarding  these  then  as 
compensated  for  by  the  hills  of  tho  western  townsliii)s,  we 
may  reckon  as  entire  the  townships  of  Brown,  AV'aterloo, 
Athens,  York,  Dover,  Ward,  TrimI)lo,  Salt  Lick  and 
Munroe,  including  the  southern  part  of  Pleasant,  which  is, 
as  it  wore,  cut  out  from  tho  last  two  named.  We  have  thus 
an  area  of  nine  townships  of  thirty-six  square  miles  each, 
equal  to  three  hundred  and  twenty-four  scpiaro  miles.  If 
from  this,  for  the  eastern  part  of  the  township  of  Athens, 
in  which  the  groat  vein  is  not  known,  and  its  development 
doubtful,  and  also  tho  southeastern  part  ot  Dover,  of  which 
tho  same  may  be  said,  we  deduct  twenty-four  miles,  wo  shall 
have  three  hundred  square  miles,  as  tho  area  over  which 
the  great  vein  is  known  to  extend,  with  its  develoi)nient  of 
G'  an<l  more.  This,  though  confessedly  but  an  approxima- 
tion, from  tho  difficulty  of  estimating  the  amount  removed 
by  erosion,  is  probably  rather  over  than  under  the  truth. 


20 


TIIR    COAL    AXI>    IIIOX    ItKOlON 


§41.  Along  the  westcni  hordor  of  the  Hocking  Vallo}^ 
cojil  fii'Ul,  it  i.s  known  that  the  lower  coal  scams  of  rlackson 
county,  with  Iheii"  accompanying  iron  ores,  arc  found. 
These  lower  coals  appear  in  some  i)art,s  at  least,  to  be  thin, 
and  they  have  hitherto  received  hut  little  attention,  on  ac- 
count of  their  proximity  to  the  great  vein.  The  accompany- 
ing strata  yield  large  quantities  of  iron  ore,  and  it  is  not 
improl)ahlo  that  some  of  these  lower  coal  seams  may,  as  in 
Jackson  county,  I)e  found  valnal)le.  There  arc,  however, 
iis  we  have  already  noticed  in  §  .'],  seams  of  coal  in  close 
proximity  to  the  great  vein,  which  re(|uire  more  particular 
notice.  The  lirst  of  these,  being  below  it,  we  have  desig- 
nated as  Coal  No.  5.  It  is  found  to  the  southward,  in  Mad- 
ison and  Elk,  Vinton  county,  from  twenty-tivc  to  thirty'  feet 
beneath  the  Jjimcstone  coal,  with  a  thickness  of  from  2'  to 
3',  and  in  some  places  [)'.  It  was  again  seen  in  the  same 
position  beneath  the  outcrop  (;f  the  great  vein  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  lirown,  and  in  the  southern  part  of  Starr,  where 


it  appear 


s  in  the  bed  of  a  creek,  at  an  estimated  distance  of 


twentv-live  feet  below  the  <n'eat  seam.  1  was  informed 
that  two  wells,  sunk  in  this  part  of  Starr,  had  each  passed 
through  -i'  of  this  coal.  From  its  position  it  is  of  course 
soon  concealed  to  the  eastward,  but  is  seen  at  several  points 
along  the  Hocking  Kivcr,  and  was  ex[)osed  several  years 
since  in  digging  the  Hocking  Canal,  near  Nelsonville,  whei'o 
it  was  said  to  be  from  IV  to  4'  thick,  and  was  found  a  good 
smith's  coal.  Near  Lick  liun,  in  fraction  18  of  York,  it  was 
found  l)y  Andrews  to  have  a  thickness  of  o',  and  to  lie  twenty- 
seven  feet  below  the  great  vein. 

It  is  also  seen  in  Green  and  Salt  Lick  townships  twenty- 
five  and  thirty  feet  below  the  groat  vein,  and  occasional l}' 
shows  marks  of  erosion  before  the  dei)osilion  of  the  latter, 
as  a  result  of  which  it  is  [)artially  replaced  by  sandstone.  To 
the  northeastward,  near  Xew  Lexington,  its  position  is 
twenty-two  feet  below  the  great  vein,  and  it  measures  4', 


OF   SOUTIIEUN   OHIO. 


21 


with  ii  tliin  day  pavVmcr  ,ioar  the  mi.ldlo.  It  is  hero  known 
as  the  L,.u-or  Xrw  Lcxin-ton  coal,  and  hotli  it  and  tho 
overly. n^r  seam  are  extensively  mined  (§  •]^).  Still  farther 
to  the  northeast  the  lower  .seam,  or  Coal  a,  is  mine.l  in  Xcmv- 
ton,  Miiskingnm  eounty,  with  u  thickness  of  ;}'  W  and  is 
|i  caking  coal.  Tho  soft  shales  uhr.ve  this  lower  coal  allord 
111  some  cases  a  line  clay  for  pottery,  which  is  extensividy 
made  from  it  at  lioseville,  in  Clay  township,  in  the  county 
just  named.  "^ 

§  12.    Within  a  distance  of  about  100  feet  al.ove  the  ^reat 
vein  there  are  found  the  two  seams  of  coal  already  noticed 
in   §  11  as    Coals  Ga  and  7,  which  are  of  consi<leraI,le  im- 
portance in   various   parts   of   the    Hocking  ^^lIlev   re-ion. 
lliey  wdl   be   best   understood  by  beoinnin-  their  studv  in 
the  northeast  part  of  the  Held,  where  these  ui.per  seams'are 
more  known  than  elsewhere.     On  the  west  branch  of  Sun- 
day Creek,  in  section  24   of  Salt  Lick  township,  a  seam  of 
coal,  here  2'  G",  is  seen  forty-seven  feet  al)ove  the  ^n-eat 
vein    and  another  100  feet  above,  which  is  4'  in  thickness. 
Iho  lower  of  these  is  the  Coal  Ga  or  middle  seam,  which  is 
mmed  a  few  miles  eastward  at  the  Xorris  hank  in  section  21 
of  Munroe,  where  it  is  G'  in  thickness  and  is  known  as  tho 
W,s  coal.      It  is  also  mined  farther  northward  in  section  9 
of  the  same  townshii),  where  it  is  iifty  feel  above  the  -re-,t 
vein,  and  has  a  thickness  of  4',  and  is  again  seen  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Moxahala  in  section  29  of  Pleasant  township.     Its 
place  in  this  vicinity  is  from  forty  to  forty-five  feet  above  tho 
great  vein,  and  its  thickness  in  one  localitv  is  4'  2"      Flsc 
where  it  is  reduced  to  2',  and  in  the  hills  f^  the  northwest- 
ward, towards  Xew  Lexington,  it  is  ffenerallv  wantin-.-      At 
Ferrara  also,  in  section  22  of  M.mroe,  it  is  only  a  few'inches 
lu  thickness,  and  farther  south,  from  a  boring  made  in  the 
southern  part  of  Trimble,  it  appears  to  be  absent. 

§  43     To  tho  southwcsfward,  at  Lick  lUm  in  fraction  18 
of   lork,  the  Coal  Ga  again  appears  forty-seven  feet  al) 


hove 


:r 


.! 


22 


THE    COAL   AND    IRON    REGION 


H 


the  great  vein.  It  has  here  a  thickness,  according  to  An- 
drews, of  only  9",  hnt  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  sonthwcst 
ajjpears  with  a  tliickness  of  4',  and  with  a  hand  of  limestono 
eighteen  feet  above  it.  In  several  otiier  localities  in  York 
this  coal  is  seen  wit'  Miickness  of  abont  4',  and  is  mined 
for  local  nse.  In  s  ii  10  the  same  coal  was  fonnd  in  two 
openings  to  bo  3'  li"  and  4'  G".  The  position  of  tliis  is 
here  supposed  to  be  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the  great  vein, 
and  a  still  higher  seam  of  3',  representing  Coal  7,  was  seen 
in  some  localities  in  this  township. 

§  44.  In  the  eastern  part  of  York,  and  farther  north  in 
Ward,  there  appear  to  l)e  some  irregnlarities  in  these  ui)per 
coals.  Near  the  nionth  of  ^Meeker's  linn,  in  section  10  of 
York,  the  two  seams  above  the  great  vein  arc  fonnd,  accord- 
ing to  Andrews,  the  tirst  of  3',  at  twenty-five  feet  al)ovc,  and 
the  second  of  4',  seventy-six  feet  above  the  great  vein,  while 
near  liessemer,  in  s-  "tion  12,  the  first  seam  is  fonnd  in  its 
place,  and  the  sec(  'onld  appear,  from  the  description  by 

Mr.  Read,  to  be  wai.  g.  Again  in  the  northeastern  part  of 
Ward,  on  Snow  Fork,  there  is  fonnd,  according  to  Andrews, 
a  seam  of  3'  twenty-five  feet  above  the  top  of  the  great  vein, 
followed,  after  twenty-seven  feet,  by  abont  two  feet  of  lime- 
stone, flinty  at  the  top  and  carrying  some  iron  ore.  At  sixty 
feet  above  the  same  horizon  is  a  second  seam  of  coal  4'  3", 
while  still  a  third  seam  of  3'  6"  occnrs  at  ninety  feet  aI)ove 
the  great  vein.  Lower  down  on  Snow  Fork,  however,  a 
seam  of  4'  occnrs  forty-five  feet  above  the  great  vein,  and 
the  outcrop  of  another  is  seen  forty-five  feet  higher  np,  these 
measiu'cments  coinciding  with  those  to  the  northeast  in  Mnn- 
roe.  These  local  difierences  are  not  improbably  connected 
with  the  erosion  which  occiuTcd  near  this  part  of  the  field 
during  the  deposition  of  the  coal  measures,  as  already  de- 
scribed in  §  33. 

§  45.    The  upper  seam  or  Coal  7  which,  as  we  have  seen, 
occnrs  in  the  eastern  part  of  York  at  seventy-six  feet,  and 


OF   SOUTIIEKN    OHIO. 


23 


111, 


ty 


a 


in  tlio  western  part  of  Salt  Lick  at  one  hundiTd  foot  nbovo 
tho  j^roat  vein,  li;i.s  l)C('n  mined  in  the  latter  vieinity  lor  local 
use  by  Mr.  Stallsinith  for  several  year;*,  and  is  known  as 
the  Stidlsmitii  coal.  It  is  seen  in  nnmerons  outcrops  in  the 
hills  horderliifj:  the  upper  Sunday  Creek  valU'y,  at  from 
twcnty-tive  to  forty-tive  feet  above  tho  middle  seam.  In 
section  10  of  Muiiroo  it  measures  'd'  (!"  ;  in  section  4  of 
Pleasant  4',  and  in  one  locality  in  section  33  of  the  same 
township  it  is  said  to  bo  5'.  The  same  seam  is  seen  aloiis^  tho 
valley  of  Sunday  Creek  and  its  tributaries  on  the  west  side, 
from  the  northern  part  of  Trimble  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
in  Dover,  where  it  is  only  live  feet  above  low  water.  It  has 
long  been  mined  in  this  reijion,  and  from  the  opeuiuirs  on  tho 
stream  of  that  name,  is  here  known  as  the  Bayley's  Iviiu  coal. 
It  is  very  regular  and  persistent,  with  a  thickness  of  from 
4'  6'  to  fy  3",  sometimes  including  a  parting  of  2".  Tho  po- 
sition of  this  seam  above  the  floor  of  the  great  vein,  is  here, 
as  appears  from  recent  borings,  from  eightj'-two  to  ninety- 
seven  feet.  From  the  al)sence  of  any  notice  of  a  seam  of 
coal  in  these  l)oriiigs  between  the  Bayley's  Kun  coal  and  tho 
great  vein,  the  middle  or  Xorris  seam  would  here  seem  to 
be  wanting.  An  irregular  coal  seam,  varying  from  10''  to  4' 
in  thickness,  is  described  as  occurring  in  this  vicinity  about 
thirty  feet  above  the  liayley's  Run  or  Stallsmith  coal.      * 

S  40.  The  Bavlev's  Kun,  Avhich  we  luive  desiirnated  as  Coal 
7,  is,  according  to  Andrews,  the  same  with  the  Alexander 
seam  of  Muskinirum  couiitv,  and  with  the  Lower  Waterloo 
or  Sheridan  coal  of  Gallia  and  Lawrence  counties,  where  its 
position  is  about  seventy-live  feet  above  the  top  of  the  Liuie- 
stoiic  coal,  the  representative  of  the  great  vein.  The  inter- 
mediate seam,  Coal  Ga,  appears  in  some  parts  about  thirty 
feet  above  the  same  base,  and  is  known  as  the  Newctistlo 
coal.  We  have  already  traced  these  two  coals  from  tho 
northern  part  of  tho  Hocking  valley  field  into  York.  They 
are  both  seen  in  the  outcrops  above  the  great  vein  in  Starr, 


I 


24 


THE    COAL    AND    IRON    UEGION 


iiiid  in  the  northern  part  of  Brown,  antl  the  lower  one  of 
these  is  supposed  to  ho  the  seani  which  lias  l)een  tlesci'ihed  ns 
api)oaring  with  a  thickness  of  4',  above  the  great  vein  in 
several  parts  of  Yoric. 

§  47.  To  )ne  of  these  nnist  pr()l)al)ly  he  refcrreil  tlie 
C(  'i  which  is  found  at  Carl)()nilale  in  tiie  northwest  sec- 
tion of  Waterloo,  and  which  measures  i'  2",  with  two  part- 
ings, yielding  '6'  10"  of  coal.  This  seam  is  extensively 
mined  and  .shipi)ed  by  the  Carbondale  branch  of  the  ^Marietta 
and  Cincinnati  railroad.  The  same  seam,  according  to  An- 
drews, is  traced  a  little  east  of  south  to  Mineral  City  station 
on  the  railroad  just  named,  where  it  measures  2'  &',  and 
farther  st)utliwest  to  King's  Switch,  where  also  it  is  mined  to 
a  considerable  extent,  and  is  2'  1".  Still  farther  westward 
at  Moonville,  and  again  at  lIoi)c  Furnace  station  and  beyond, 
what  is  regarded  b}'  him  as  the  same  seam  of  coal,  is  seen 
with  a  thickness  of  o'  G".  The  S(>am  which  is  mined  at  these 
localities  in  the  western  i)art  of  Waterloo  has  been  regarded 
by  Andrews  as  the  great  vein,  but  this,  along  the  line  of 
the  railroad  near  the  western  liorder  of  Waterloo,  accordinji 
to  the  result  of  the  boring  given  in  vj  22,  is  lound,  with  its 
usual  thickness,  seventy  feet  below  the  level  of  the  valley, 
so  that  the  Carbondale  coal  nnist  be  one  of  the  higher  seams. 
The^oulcro[)s  of  one,  and  in  some  places  two,  of  these  higher 
seams,  ai'e  seen  in  various  jxiinls  in  the  township  of  lirown, 
ami  Judging  frou)  tlu^  valual)le  (pialities  of  ti. •;  Carbondale 
coal,  dcseive  a  careful  examination. 

§  ItS.  The  elevation  of  the  great  vein  at  its  western 
outcrop  at  Ilaydenville  is,  according  to  Mr.  \\ .  II.  den- 
ninirs,  the  eu'dneer  of  the  Columbus  and  Hocking  \'allev 
railroad,  three  hundred  and  seventeen  feet  above  I^ako 
Eiie  ;  at  Ib'ooks's  Mine,  near  Xelsonville,  one  hundri'd  and 
ninety-seven  feet  above ;  at  Salina,  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  Hover,  in  a  shaft  of  one  hundred  an<l  ten  feet,  tifteen  (ect 
below  Lake    Erie  ;    while  at  Athens  in  a  shaft  two  hundred 


OF   SOUTIiy,IiX    OHIO. 


25 


itceii    feet   l)el()\v  tlio 


feet  deep  it  is  one  limidrcd    ami   cirri 
same  zero  point.     This  position  is  tilteen  miles  S.  50°  E. 

vein  is  thus 
to  th( 


from  Ilay(l('nvilh3,  and  the  descent  of  the  great  

four  hundred  and  thirty-tivc  feet,  or  twenty-nine  feet 


mde.     From  these  and  other  levels  as  data,  Col.  Wliittlese^- 
has   determined    the    dip    of  this    eoal    sean 
parts  of  the  Hocking  valley  field.     Some  of 
as  f< 


seam    over    various 


hi 


s  rcsu 


Its 


are 


ollows 


A  triangle  connecting  Ilayde.iville,    Old  Straitsvillo  and 
Buckingham,  gave  a  dip  to  the   great  vein  of 


25:^  feet  t(j  the  mile  ;  t,' 
lip   near  Sti'aitsville. 


S.   77=  E., 
lero  are  some  local  undulations  in  the 


Straitsville,    CI 


Another   triangle    connect inir   N 


e\v 


G-10  feet  to  tl 


launcey,    and    Fcrrara,  gave    S.   74°  E.,  32 


le  mile.     A  third  connecting  Old  Strait 


svilh 


McCunevillo  and  Buckingham  gave  S.  ci'jp  E.,  30  feet 
"le  mile.     A  tburth  connecting  MeC 


tl 


Bristol    T 


to 
uneville,  Moxahala  and 


iinnel    on   the    Xewark,  Somerset  and  Straitsvillo 
railroad  gave  S.  67°  E.,  21  feet  to  the  mile;  while  a  fifth 
between    the    last  mentioned  tunnel,  Moxahala  and  K 
Tunnel  near  Xew  I 
the  mile. 


oon  8 


.exington  gave  S.  60^°  E.,  21;^  feet  to 


§  VJ.    To  the    soutl 


connecting  Brooks's    min 


iward    two    triangle 


and  Athens,  whicl 


e    near   Nelsonville,  Mineral    C 


s   arc    given :   one 


ity 


1  gives  S.  7!)3  E.,  3(i  4-10  feet  to  the  mile 


ions  with  Chaun- 


while  another  connecting  the  first  two  stat 

cey  gives  S.  78^  E.,  32  feet  to  the  mile.     If  howcvcri 

right,  as  I  endeavored  to  show  al 

at  Mineral  City  to  h 


am 


these  hist  two  determination 


)ove,  in  supposing  the  coal 
iini  the  great  vein,  hut  an  upper  seam, 


s  are    erroneous,  and    the    dip 


to  the  southward  augments  more  rapidly  than  has  bee 
posed. 


n  sup- 


1— ^ 

I. 

i 


26 


THE    COAL   AND   IRON    REGION 


THE  COALS  OF  THE  HOCKING  VALLEY. 

§  50.  Although,  {IS  wo  have  seen,  the  Hocking  Vallo}' 
coal  field  contains  not  less  than  four  workable  seams  within 
a  thickness  of  less  than  one  hundred  and  tifty  feet,  com- 
paratively little  is  known  of  the  coal  of  any  of  these  but 
the  great  vein,  or  No.  G.  It  is  true  that  on  the  northern 
border  of  the  field  the  coal  No.  5,  which  has  alreadv  been 
noticed  in  §  41,  is  mined  to  a  considcral)le  extent  near  New 
Lexington,  and  in  addition  to  these.  No.  Ga  and  No.  7  are 
mined  for  local  use  in  some  parts  of  the  field,  and  will  be 
noticed  farther  on.  It  is,  however,  the  coal  of  the  great 
vein,  whioh  from  its  thickness,  its  purity  and  its  many  uses, 
is  the  characteristic  coal  of  the  field,  and  it  is  this  alone 
which  in  the  markets  of  the  west  is  known  as  the  Hocking 
coal,  a  name  given  to  that  mined  near  the  banks  of  the 
Hocking.  From  the  more  northern  part  of  the  field  the 
coal  of  the  same  vein  is  known  by  the  names  of  Straitsville, 
Shawnee,  Sunday  Creek  and  Lyonsdale  coal.  ^Mining  opera- 
tions for  exportation  are  as  yet  confined  to  the  township  of 
Salt  Lick  in  the  north,  and  in  the  south  to  openings  along  the 
lino  of  the  Cohnnbus  and  Hocking  Valley  railroad  in  York, 
and  adjacent  points  in  (ireon,  AVard  and  Dover  townships. 

§  51.  The  Hocking  coal,  under  which  name  we  may  con- 
veniently designate  the  coal  of  the  great  vein  throughout  the 
Hocking  valley  field,  belongs  to  the  class  known  as  dry, 
free-burning  or  non-caking  coals,  which  do  not  soften  and  run 
together  in  burninir.  These  coals  are  very  distinct  from 
those  which  become  soft  and  agglutinate  when  heated  ;  tlio 
latter  are  prized  for  blacksmiths'  use,  as  they  make  what  is 
called  a  hollow  fire,  and  also  are  nuich  esteemed  for  gener- 
ating steam,  especially  on  the  Ohio  steamboats,  where  the 
draft  in  the  furnaces  '<«  so  strong  that  an  adhesive  coal  is 
preferred.     Certain  varieties  of  free-burning  coals,  mined 


OF    SOUTIIERX   OHIO. 


27 


in  nortliern  Ohio  nnd  the  acljaccnt  parts  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  also  in  Indiana,  are  locally  known  by  the  name  of  block 
coals,  from  the  readiness  with  which,  from  the  presence  of 
joints  at  right  angles  to  the  bed,  they  divide  into  rectangular 
blocks.  These  coals  arc  laminated  in  structure,  and  are 
seen  to  be  made  up  of  thin  alternate  layers  of  a  bright  and 
shining  coal  with  others  which  are  less  lustrous.  They 
often  split  readiiv  in  the  direction  of  these  lavers,  which 
are  parallel  to  the  bedding  of  the  coal  and  have  their  sur- 
faces covered  with  a  soft  black  til)rous  substance  known  as 
mineral  charcoal.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  ditticult  to  break 
them  across  the  layers,  and  this  fracture,  as  well  described 
by  Prof.  E.  T.  Cox,  in  his  account  of  the  block  coals  of 
Indiana,  "exhibits  a  splinty  structure  marked  l)y  alternate 
layers  of  dull  and  shining  black  coal."  For  this  reason,  ap- 
l)arcutly,  the  name  of  splint  coal  is  given  to  this  class  of 
coals  in  Scotland.  Tiieir  aspect  is  very  dilVereut  from  that 
of  fat  caking  coals,  which  gencrallv  break  irre<ndarlv  with 
broad,  smooth,  black  and  shining  surfaces,  although  some 
caking  coals  are  laminated. 

§  52.  The  Hocking  coal  is,  like  those  just  described, 
lami.iated  in  structure,  with  the  characters  of  a  splint  coal, 
and  burns  with  a  bright  tlame,  which  is  however  less  volum- 
inous and  smoky  than  that  of  cannel.  It  swells  slightly,  but 
instead  of  forniinir  a  cohcrintr  mass,  breaks  uj)  and  aives  a 
body  of  glowing  cf)als,  which  rosemljlc  those  produced  in 
the  combustion  of  hard  wood. 

Numerous  analyses  of  this  coal  from  various  parts  of 
the  field,  show  it  to  be  unusually  free  from  sulphur,  with 
a  proportion  of  fixed  carbon  varying  from  iift\'-five  to  sixty 
per  cent.,  and  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  ash.  Its 
consumption,  in  1873,  amounted  to  considerably  over  a 
million  of  tons,  and  it  is  largely  used  as  a  steam-coal,  both 
in  locomotives  and  steamboats.  It  is  also  very  favorably 
known  as  a  fuel  for  puddling-furnaccs  and  rolling-mills,  and 


I  i 


iii  I 


28 


THE  COAL  AND  IKON  EEOIOX 


in  fact  for  all  ordinary  pnr[)(»SGS.  F<jr  househokl  use  it  is 
nnicli  cstccmod,  not  only  in  the  west,  but  also  in  New  York 
cit}',  where  it  lias  been  introdueed  within  the  last  yesu-  or 
two  under  the  nai  of  Straitsviile  eannel.  It  is  liardly 
necessary  to  sa}-  that  it  differs  from  caiuicl  coal  not  only  in 
its  structure  and  its  lustre,  but  in  containiiis:  nim-h  less 
volatile  matter  and  nu)re  lixed  carbon,  which  nive  it  a 
greater  heating  power  than  canuel.  For  household  purposes 
it  is  perhaps  best  burned  in  deep  grates  such  as  are  used 
for  anthracite. 

§  53.  The  Hocking  coal  From  the  vicinity  of  Straitsviile 
is  also  cm})loyed  as  a  gas-coal  in  Columbus,  Lancaster 
and  Newark,  Ohio,  where  it  has  replaced  the  Youghiog- 
licny  coal  of  Pennsjdvania,  formerl\'  used  for  the  i)urp()se. 
According  to  a  report  of  the  superintendent  of  the  Co- 
lumbus gas-works,  the  gas  made  from  the  latter  was  e(iual 
in  ilhuninating  power  to  fourteen  candles,  while  that  fnjm 
the  Straitsviile  coal  equals  eighteen  candles.  This  agrees 
closely  Avith  the  photometric  determinations  of  Prof.\\'orndey, 
the  state  inspector  of  gas,  who  gives  from  seventeen  to  niue- 
tocn  candles.  It  was  at  tirst  thought  that  the  fact  that  a 
large  part  of  the  sulphur  present  in  the  coal  goes  otf  in  the 
gas  would  be  an  objection  to  its  use,  l)ut  it  is  declared  that 
the  superior  illuminating  power  of  the  gas  more  than  com- 
pensates for  the  larger  amount  of  lime  recpiired  in  its  puri- 
fication. According  to  one  statenuuit  two  thoustuid  pounds 
of  this  coal  yield  eight  thousand  feet  of  |)urilied  gas,  but 
from  a  report  hy  Mv.  W.  Kol)bins,  the  president  of  tlu; 
Newark  Gas  Company,  the  result  of  a  trial  of  over  eight 
tons  of  the  coal  from  New  Straitsviile  showed  a  product  of 
nine  thousand  cubic  feet  to  the  ton  of  two  thousand  pounds. 
In  ease  of  working,  the  coal  compares  favoraI)ly  with  canuel, 
giving  olf  its  gas  at  a  moderate  heat,  while  the  coke  is  of 
superior  quality. 

§  54.    One  of  the  most  Important  a[)i)lications  of  dry  or 


I 


OF    SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


29 


splint  coal  is  for  (he  iniimit'idiire  of  iron  in  the  hlast-fnrnaeo. 
The  ordinary  hituniinons  or  eakin<r  coals  cannot  he  used  in  the 
raw  state  for  iron-smelting,  hut  require  to  he  tirst  made  into 
coke,  while  the  dry  or  non-eaking  coals,  provided  they  arc 
sutiiciently  hard   and   strong  to   hear  without   crushing  the 
hurden  of  the  furnace,  may  he  used  directly  in  their  raw 
state,  like  anthracite.     The  hlock  or  splint  coal  mentioned 
ahove   is    largely  mined   for  tills   purpose   in   the  Chenango 
valley  in  Mercer  Co.,  Pennsylvania,  and  also  in  the  valley 
of  the  .Mahoning  in  northeastern  Ohio,  in  hoth  of  which  are 
laig(!  numhers  of  furnaces  for  smelling  the  rich  iron  ores 
hronght  from  Lake  Superior.     This  coal  from  near  Voungs- 
town  in  the  Mahoning  valley,  known  as   IJriar  Ililj  coai^is 
also  ixsvi]^  for  this   pmpo^e  at  Cleveland    and  at  Newhurgli 
m  Its  vicinity,  where  Lake  Superior  ores  are  smelted   hv  iTs 
aid.  and  yield  an  iron  used  for  the  manufacture  of  Bessemer 
steel.     The  JJriar  Hill  coa'   is  here  used  without  any  admix- 


ture of  other  fuel,  hut  at  V 
Ji  small  amount  of  coke 


oungstown  it  is  often  mixed  with 


u.). 


'Jl 


le  (irv-i)urnin 


g  coal  of  the  Hocking  valley  field 


losely  resemhics  in  comi)osition  and   i)roperties  that  of 


Mahoning  vallev,  and   h 


the 
IS   now   heeii  successfully   used  lur 


some  years  in  hlast-furnaces  at  Colmnhus  and  at  Zanesvill 
in  Ohio.    The  former  of  those,  the  furnace  of  the  ColumI 
Iron  Company,   which   has  now   hceu   smelling  since  1»71, 
asures  sixty-one  feet  in  height,  aii<l  Ibuitcdi  and  a  half 


•  us 


me 


feet  at  the  hoshes  ;  its  cap  uity  is  thirty  tons  a  day 
ores  used  are  a  nn'xture  of  ahout  one-third  of  native  car- 
honates  and  linionites  with  two-thirds  of  the  rich  hematites 
•f  Missouri  or  Lake  Superior.     The  fuel   is  the  coal  1 


th 


e  great  vein,  mined   at   New   Straitsvilh 


am 


I  tl 


thickness  of  the  seam   is   used.      This  coal   has   I 


rom 


10    wliole 


without 


>een   usee 


1 


admixtuns  re(juiring  seventy-live    l)n>hels   t 


o 


cluce  a  ton  ot   iron,  hut   with  the  ahove  im.portions  of  ,._.. 
the  hest  results  are  ohtaincd  with  an  addition  of  one-third 


pro- 
ores 


Ill  I 


r 


I  ^ 


30 


THE    COAL    AND    UIOS   KEOIOX 


of  Conncllsvillc  coke.  The  amount  of  iron  prodncocl  in 
1873  AViis  8,40(3  tons.  Tlio  product,  in  part  foundry  and  in 
part  mill  iron,  is  declared  to  be  equal  in  all  respects  to  that 
made  with  Briar  Hill  or  with  Indiana  block  coal.  These 
details  are  partly  from  the  report  of  the  <;e()l()gical  ,.rvey 
of  Ohio  and  [)artly  from  a  recent  private  letter  from  the  late 
president  of  the  company,  S.  Baird,  Esq.,  who  is  now  about 
erecting  a  furnace  in  Monday  Creek  t()wnshi[),  to  smelt  the 
ores  found  in  that  vicinity  with  the  coal  of  the  great  vein 
mined  near  its  western  outcrop.  A  second  l)last-fiu-nace 
using  the  New  Straitsvillo  coal  has  lately  been  bnilt  at 
Columbus,  and  went  into  blast  last  autumn.  Its  production 
for  November  and  December,  1873,  is  stated  at  laOO  tons. 

§ .')().  A  third  blast-furnace,  that  of  Zanesville,  Ohio, 
originally  using  charcoal,  has,  for  the  last  two  years  or 
more,  emi)loyed  the  Straitsville  coal  as  a  fuel.  The  ores 
here  smelted  are  chietiy  the  native  carbonates  and  limon- 
ites,  yielding  on  an  average,  forty  per  cent,  of  metal,  but  in 
some  cases  an  admixture  of  foreiijn  ores  is  used,  as  at  Colum- 
bus.  The  furnace  is  sixtv-two  feet  hi<2;h,  and  sixteen  feet 
across  the  boshes,  and  its  capacity  is  stated  at  lifty  tons  a 
day.  These  details  are  taken  from  a  printed  letter  of  Gen- 
eral Sanuiel  Thomas,  the  president  of  the  com[)an3'  (the 
Columbus  Rolling  Mill  Company),  who  further  says  ''The 
coal  works  as  Avell  in  the  blast-furnace  as  any  coal  1  ever  saw 
used  fiU'  the  purpose.  We  make  a  soft  strong  iron,  excel- 
lent for  castings,  and  when  the  furnace  is  proi)erly  burdened, 
an  equally  good  iron  for  merchant-bar  or  rails.  ^Vhen  a 
very  large  production  from  the  furnace  is  needed  we  use 
about  one-third  of  coke."  Its  production  in  1872  is  stated 
at  14,000  tons. 

§  57.  The  coal  from  the  great  vein  has  also  been 
used  to  a  considerable  extent  in  the  blast-furnace  of  the 
Cleveland  Iron  Company,  at  Cleveland.  A  late  [)rivato 
letter  from  the  manager,  ^Ir.  W.  A.  Hooker,   states  that 


' 


OF   SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


31 


they  have  several  times  used  it  when  the  supply  of  coal  from 
tlic  Mahoning  valley  has  failctl,  and  that  in  the  spring  of  1873, 
the  furnace  was  run  for  three  months  with  StraitsviUe  coal.' 
It  is,  he  says,  "desirable  to  use  part  coke  — from  one-seventh 
to  one-fourth  — the  former  ratio  gives  good  residts  ;  whereas 
the  IJriar  Hill  coal  does  not  require  any  coke,  and  is  ^Gen- 
erally used  alone."    The  latter,  he  remarks,  contains  a  so'^ne- 
what  larger  proportion  of  Hxed  carbon,  and  bears  better  the 
burden  of  the  furnace.     It  is,  however,  clear  that  if  not  quite 
equal   to  tiic    standard    coal    of  the    xMahoning  valley,    the 
StraitsviUe  coal  is  capable  of  successfullv  rei)^lacing  it' with 
a  small  admixture  of  coke.     Prof.  M.  C.  Kead  of  "the  oeo- 
logical  survey  of  Ohio,  declares,  after  comparative  trials,  that 
the  Hocking  valley  coal  burns  drier  and  is  harder  than'  that 
of  Briar  Hill,  and  therefore  .stands  less  in  need  of  an  admix- 
ture of  coke.     There  are  doubtless  variations  in  the  quality 
of  the  coal  in   both  of  these   regions,  as   will  be  shown  for 
that  of  the  Hocking  valley  in  §  68.     Its  heating  power,  as 
might  be  inferred  from  the  results  of  analysis,  is  a  little  less 
than  that  of  the  Mahoning  coal,  and  consequently  somewhat 
mure  of  it  is  required  to  make  a  ton  of  iron.     Accordin<>-  to 
Col.  Whittlesey  of  Cleveland,  the  average  consumption  of^ix 
furnaces,  at  Youngstown,  smelting  Lake  Superior  ores,   is 
from  two  and  a  cpiartcr  to  two  and  a  half  tons  of  Briar  I'liU 
coal  to  a  ton  of  iron,  and  he  estimates  that  from  two  and  a 
half  to  three  tons  of  the   StraitsviUe  coal  are  required   to 
produce  the  same  result. 

§58.  The  value  placed  upon  the  coal  of  the  Hock- 
ing valley  Held  may  be  judged  from  its  prices  in  the 
markets.  At  Chicag(,,  to  which  it  is  largely  shipped  both 
from  lork  and  Salt  Lick  townships,  the  wholesale  price  of 
"Brooks's"  Hocking  coal,  which  is  mined  near  Xelsonville 
has  been  for  some  time  past  ^8.00  per  ton.  Briar  Hill  and 
Erie  coals  being  quoted  at  §8.00  and  $8.aO,  while  Indian-i 
block  coal  is  $G.oO,  and  Illinois  coal  $5.00.     In  Indianapolis 


32 


THE    COAL    AM)    IKON    HEOIOX 


tht!  wliolcsalc  price  of  Hocking  coal,  of  late,  lias  ranged  from 
$4.20  to  $4.40,  wliilc  that  of  Indiana  block,  or  Brazil  coal, 
is  from  $'6.65  to  $4.20.  In  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  the 
Briar  Hill  has  long  been  the  favorite  coal,  and  is  now  (jnotcd 
at  $4.00,  Hocking  valley  is  $3.75.  The  above  tignres  are 
taken  from  the  market  reports  in  the  nMml)ers  of  "The  Engi- 
neering and  Mining  Jonrnal"  of  >>ew  York,  for  March  and 
A[)ril.  A  recent  i)rivate  Ictti'r  from  Cleveland,  in  repl}'  to 
an  incjniry  as  to  the  comparative  prices  of  the  tv.'o  coal^;, 
states  Ihtit  "while  Briar  Hill  ranges  from  $4.10  (which  is 
said  to  be  the  lowest),  to  $4.50  and  $4.75,  Straitsville  is 
from  $3.'J5  to  $4.25."  In  New  York  city  the  wholesale 
price  for  the  coal  from  the  great  vi'in,  mined  in  Salt  Lick 
townshi[),  and  known  ;is  L3'onsdale  coal,  is  quoted  at  $12. 0'*, 
while  the  so-called  Straitsville  cannel  is  retailed  at  $1(!.00 
per  ton. 

§  L)\).  We  have  next  to  consider  the  chemical  composition 
of  the  coal  of  the  aicat  vein,  as  shown  bv  the  nnmer- 
ous  analyses  of  Prof.  T.  (J.  Worndey,  the  chemist  to  the 
ij'eolo'rical  survev  of  Ohio.  Some  of  these  arc  to  be  found 
in  the  reports  of  the  survey  for  1801)  and  1870,  and  a  few 
later  ones  in  the  olHcial  report  for  1S73,  and  in  two  special 
reporfs  by  Prof.  Andrews,  also  published  in  187.").  The 
ffreater  number  of  these  analvses  are  <>;iven  below,  but  in 
some  cases  1  have  contented  myself  with  giving  the  average 
of  several.  From  a  description  givi'U  l>v  Prof.  Worndey  in 
the  report  for  1870,  we  learn  that  the  determinations  were 
made  as  follows  :  the  loss  of  weight  in  drying  a  portion  of  tlio 
powdered  coal  at  212°  F.  is  regai'ded  as  water,  and  the  loss 
by  heating  another  portion  of  the  coal  to  redness  out  of  cour 
tact  of  air  being  ascertained,  this,  less  the  amount  of  water, 
is  set  down  as  c()m))Ustil)le  volatile  matter  ;  while  the  solid 
resiilue,  U'ss  the  weight  of  the  ash  lett  by  com[)lete  combus- 
tion, is  the  tixed  carbon.  The  weight  of  the  coke  may  be  got 
from  the  tables  by   additiir  toirether  the  asii  an<l   the   lixed 


OF    SOUTHERN    OlilO. 


83 


carbon.  Prof.  Wormley  has  also,  in  many  cases,  given  the 
amount  of  gas  from  the  coal,  calculated  for  a  pound  avoir- 
dupois, from  the  results  of  treatment  of  five  grains.  These 
numl)ers  are,  however,  as  he  has  himself  shown,  below  those 
obtained  in  the  large  way,  and  seldom  exceed  3.5  cubic 
feet,  wliile  the  same  coals  at  the  gas-works  ^acld  four  feet  and 
upwards.  These  determinations  are  therefore  omitted  in  the 
following  tables. 

§  60.  The  determinations  of  the  amount  of  sulphur  in  coals 
are  very  important.  We  shall  find  given  under  this  head, 
in  many  of  the  analyses  below,  first,  the  total  amount  of 
sulphur  in  100  parts  of  the  coal ;  second,  the  amount  of  this 
which  remains  fixed  in  the  coke,  and  third,  the  quantity  of 
sulphur  which  100  parts  of  the  coke  will  contain,  marked 
"Sulphur,  per  cent,  in  coke."  The  color  of  the  ash  and  the  text- 
ure of  the  coke  are  also  in  most  cases  given.  The  amount  of 
iron  in  the  ash,  as  shown  by  its  more  or  less  red  color,  is 
generally  supposed  to  be  an  indication  of  the  proportion  of 
sulphur  in  a  coal,  it  being  imagined  that  the  sulphur  exists 
in  combination  with  iron  as  pyrites.  That  such  is  not  always 
the  case  had  already  been  in  some  instances  shown,  but  Prof. 
Wormley  has  pointed  out  many  examples  of  this.  He  de- 
termined in  certain  coals  both  the  sulphur  and  the  iron  pres- 
ent, and  in  the  case  of  coal  No.  10,  in  table  II,  found  the  iron 
to  amount  to  0.38  parts,  sufficient  to  combine  with  only 
0.43,  or  less  than  one-third  of  the  1.42  parts  of  sulphur; 
while  coal  No.  12  of  the  same  table  contains  only  O.OSJ  of 
iron  and  1.01  of  sulphur. 

§  61.  In  some  cases  nearly  the  whole  of  the  sulphur  is 
given  off  at  a  red  heat,  while  in  other  cases  the  greater 
part  of  it  is  retained  in  the  coke ;  a  distinction  of  much  im- 
portance. For  gas-making,  those  coals  which  retain  the 
greatest  amount  of  sulphur  will  yield  the  purest  gas,  while 
for  iron-smelting,  on  the  contrary,  those  coals  which  give  otf 
by  heat  the  greater  part  of  their  suli)hur  are  to  be  preferred. 


w! 


34 


THK   COAL    AND   IRON    REGION 


since,  even  wlien  used  in  their  raw  state,  tills  ingredient  is 
expelled  in  the  upper  part  of  the  I'urnacc,  so  that  the  coke, 
"vvhieh,  lower  down,  atlects  the  rednction  and  the  melting,  is 
eoniparativel^  free  from  snipluir. 

§  G2.  The  following  tables  ot  analyses  show  the  variation 
in  comp(»sition  from  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  the  great  vein, 
and  also  the  diversities  in  various  localities.  Table  I  in- 
cludes the  analyses  of  coals  from  Xelsonville  in  York,  and 
JiaydenvlUe  In  (ireen.  In  both  of  these  the  coal  Is  from 
C  0"  to  G'  G''  in  thickness,  and  Is  divided,  as  elsewhere,  by 
two  thin  clay  partings,  into  three  benches.  The  lowest  of 
these  measures  from  1'  3''  to  V  1",  the  middle  from  2'  4"  to 
2'b"y  and  the  upper  from  2'  0''  to  2'  ^".  Nos.  1-4  are 
from  Brooks's  mine  at  Nelsonville.  1  is  an  average  sami)le  of 
the  coal,  2  the  coal  of  the  lower,  3  that  of  the  middle,  and  4 
that  of  the  upper  bench.  Nos.  5-7  are  from  llayden's  mine 
at  Ilaydcnvllle,  5  being  from  the  lower,  G  from  the  middle, 
and  7  from  the  upper  l)ench.  In  both  cases  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  upper  part  contains  the  most  ash. 

I.       COALS    FROM   NELSONVILLE    AND   HAYDENVILLE. 


No  1. 

NO.  2. 

No.  3. 

No.  4. 

No.  5. 

NO.  0. 

No.  7. 

Specific  gniTity, 

1.259 

1.285 

1.272 

1.284 

1.271 

1.258 

1.310 

Water, 

G.80 

0.20 

6.G5 

5.00 

G.45 

5..30 

5.45 

Volatile  matter, 

33.27 

31.30 

33.05 

32.80 

32.74 

30.12 

29.88 

Fixed  carbon, 

57.10 

50.80 

58.40 

53.15 

68..50 

03.49 

55.31 

Ash, 

2.47 

2.70 

1.90 

9.05 

2.25 

1.09 

9.36 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Suli>hur, 

0.74 

0.07 

0.41 

0.94 

1.19 

0.04 

1.03 

Color  of  ash, 

Dull 

Ucildish. 

White. 

Yellowish 

Grayish. 

White. 

Reddish. 

Nature  of  coke. 

wliite. 
Compact. 

Pulver- 
ulent. 

Pulver- 
ulent. 

Pulver- 
ulent. 

Pulver- 
ulent. 

OF   SOUTHERN   OHIO.  35 

5  C3    Going  r„„(l,w.rd  from  Nels„nvillc.  a1,„ut  six  n.iloa, 
hZ  '"  T'";.  "  "'■  "■'"■''•  "'"  S'-°"'  "•'"  i»  <"""J 

f  0  .  t  u»  loca  ,t,-,  taken  „t  rognla,-  intervals  Con,  the  l,oltom 
to  tl,c   op  of  ,|,e  seam,  as  l.cfore.     It  will  l,o  seen  hero  also, 
that    he  ni.,,er  portnms,  Nos.  12  and  13,  contain  the  „,„s 
ash,  wlMle  the  lower  eight  feet,  whieh,  according  to  An.lrews 

Z  """"""'''  ''^  -^"^-  **-"•  ="- '»"  --  i  ™.o„nts  :;■ 


ir.       COALS    FUOM    LOST    liUN'    LV    WARD. 


Specific  gnivit}-, 


Wiiter, 

Volatile  matter, 
Fixed  carbon, 
Ash, 


Sulpluir, 

Sulpluir  left  in  coke, 

Siilpliur,  i)er  cent,  in  coke, 

Color  of  asli, 

Nature  of  coke, 


No- II.      \o.  12.    I  No.  13. 


1.28( 


1-287  1.274 


"-15  j  :,.:-:i  j  3.03 

3'i-22  I  X,A-2  I  38.39 

5">-".  j  51.15  i  47.51 

*-88  7.G3  i  11.05 


Compart.  Compact.  Compact. 


IftO.OO 
1.88 
1.00 
1.50 

Gray. 
Compact. 


100.00 

1.01 

0.50 

0.81 

Cream. 


100.00 
4.01 
2.02 
3.35 

Gray. 


Very  Aery 

.^r^paot  Compact. 


64  farther  north,  at  the  McGinnis  coal  hank  at  Straits- 
ville,  the  great  vein  niea.siire.s  IV,  with  two  paitino-s  The 
owe-st  bench  is  here  2^  the  nii.ldle  V  8^  and  the^^upper  6' 
10  ,  the  partings  being  from  2''  to  4^'  each.  In  table  III  Xos 
14  and  15  are  from  the  lower  beneh,  Xo.  10  from  the  middle 
bene  ,  and  Xos.  7  18  and  ID  respectively  from  the  bottom, 
middle  and  top  of  the  upper  bench. 


3() 


THE   COAL   AND   IRON   REGION 


III.       COALS   FROM    OLD    STRAIT8VILLE. 


No.  14. 

No.  1(5. 

No.  18. 

NO.  17. 

No.  18. 

No.  10. 

Speciflc  grnvity, 

1.201 

1.211 

1.230 

1..307 

1.217 

1.248 

Water, 

7.1)0 

8.1.5 

7.20 

7.00 

6.00 

6.85 

Volatile  matter. 

31.0.3 

27.40 

32.20 

20.05 

82.15 

30.48 

Fixed  carbon, 

■51  .'29 

01.73 

50.41 

62.77 

60.41 

57.21 

Aah, 

3.18 

2.60 

1.07 

0.08 

2.44 

COO 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Sulpliiir, 

0.08 

0.78 

0.73 

0.08 

0..50 

1.22 

Color  of  ash, 
Nature  of  coke. 

Dull 
wliite. 

CottlDlLCt. 

UeildUh. 

Kedilish. 

Pulver- 
ulent. 

White. 

Pulver- 
ulent. 

Yellowish 
Kray. 
Pulver- 
ulent. 

Grayish. 
Pulver- 

ulent. 

§  05.  From  New  Stniitsville,  where  the  seam  has  about 
the  same  thickness  as  at  the  hist  h)cality,  we  have  four 
analyses  of  different  portions  of  the  seam  from  the  bottom  to 
the  top.  These  are  given  in  taldo  IV  under  Nos.  20-2;^, 
counting  from  beh)W  upwards.  Nos.  24  and  25,  in  the  same 
table,  are  from  tlio  Benjamin  Saunders  coal-bank,  in  section 
19  of  Munroe.  There  also,  the  vein  is  over  10'  thick,  the 
lower  bench  being  3',  the  middle  5'  i)'\  and  the  upper  bench 
1'  IP'.  Of  this,  two  analyses  arc  given,  one  of  the  middle 
bench  Xo.  24,  and  one  of  the  upper  l^ench  Xo.  25  (this  lat- 
ter had  been  deprived  of  its  water  by  drying  at  212^  F. 
before  analysis).  Of  the  coal  of  the  middle  bcncli,  here  so 
remarkably  developed.  Prof,  \inlrcws  remarks,  (hat  it  is 
highly  laminated,  espo  ^  lower  12"  and  the  upper 


18",  charged  wiHi  mh 


its  large  anion 


a.\ 


.  and  eminentlv  fitted,  from 
rbo      lor  iron-smcltiu!;. 


OF   SOUTHERN   OHIO.  37 

IV.       COALS    FROM    NEW   STRAITSVILLE    AND  FROM    MUNROE. 


H'ntor, 

Volatile  matter 
Fixed  carbon, 
Ash 


Sulplmr 

Siiliihiir  lert  in  coko 

Sulphur,  per  cent,  in  coke, 


§  fiG     Besides  the  last  two,  we  have  many  more  analyses 
of  coals  from  the  great  vei.i  ii,  Mtmroe,  on  the  waters  of 
Sunday  Creek.      From  these  analyses  we  take  a  series  of 
five  from  the   Welsh  hank,  in  sectio.i  8  of  Mnnroe,  where 
the  sea,n  measures  13'  2",  from  which  o.ily  ^"  are  to  l,o 
dedue tecl  for  the  two  clay  partings.      The  lower  bench  is 
here  2'  9-,  and  the  middle  5'  i)",  while  the  upper  is  3'  11- 
and  here,  as  elsewhere  in  Munroc  and  Salt  Lick,  i.  some-^ 
what  like  canncl  in  its  aspect.     In  table  V,  No.  2fi  is  from 
the  middle  ot  the  lower  bench,  Nos.  27-29  from  the  lower 
middle  and  upper  parts  of  the  middle  bench,  and  Ko.  30 
from   the  middle  of  the   upper  bench.      To  these  we  add 
No.  31,  the  average  of  seven  analyses  from  the  bottom  to 
the  top  of  the  Sands  coal-bank  in  section  9  of  Munroe,  which 
measures  IP  ?,".     Deducting  from  these  the  analvsis  of  the 
top  portion    which  gives  11.26  per  cent,  of  ash,  the  average 
of  ash  would  be  much  less  than  above  given.     No.  32   ac- 
cording to  Andrews,  gives  the  average  of  not   less  than 
twenty-seven  analyses  which  have  been  made  of  the  coal  of 


«!' 


38 


THE    COAL   AND    IRON    REGION 


the  upper  part  of  the  Sunday  Creek  region,  including  those 
ah'eady  given  from  Xo.  24. 


V.      COALS    FROM    VARIOUS    PARTS    OF   MUNIIOF.' 


No.  26. 

No.  27. 

No.  28. 

No.  20. 

No.  30. 

No.  31. 

No.  32. 

Specific  Kravity, 

1..312 

1.38,') 

1.300 

1.31(i 

1.302 

L.-iOO 
G.42 

Water, 

4.40 

4.M 

4.30 

5.20 

4.00 

5.34 

Volatile  matter, 

30.00 

28.30 

32.70 

31.40 

33.40 

33.87 

31.40 

Fixed  carbon, 

G2.30 

53.50 

58.80 

58.40 

57.30 

5t.l7 

58.17 

Ash, 

2.70 

l.'j.SO 

4.20 

5.00 

4.70 

5.54 

6.09 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Sulphur, 

0.00 

0.79 

0.71 

0.74 

0.71 

0.88 

0.88 

Sulphur  left  in  coke, 

0.43 

Dull 

white. 

Compact. 

Dull 
white. 
Pulver- 
ulent. 

0.3.J 

Yellow. 

Compact. 

0.38 

Yellow. 

Comi)act. 

0..35 

Yellow. 

Compact. 

Color  of  ai^h, 

Nature  of  coke, 

§  G7.  For  the  h)\vcr  part  of  Sunday  Creek,  where  the 
great  vein  lies  beneath  the  wuter-level,  we  have  only  a  few 
analyses  of  the  coal  taken  from  recent  borings.  Three  of 
these,  Xos.  33-35  in  tilhle  VI,  are  on  Green's  Knn  and 
Bayley's  Knn,  on  the  conHnes  of  Dover  and  Trimble  (see 
§  45),  while  a  fourth,  No.  3G,  is  from  section  7  in  the  latter 
township. 


OF  SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


39 


VI.   COALS  FHOM  BORINGS  IN  DOVER  AND  TRIMBLE. 


No.  33. 

No.  3t. 

No.  35. 

No.  30. 

Specific  gravity, 

1..303 

Water 

4.70 
20.30 
50.00 
10.00 

2.10 
38.80 
52.90 

6.20 

4.85 
33.95 
52.80 

8.40 

4.10 
32.90 
57..')0 

Volatile  matter 

Fixed  carbon 

Ash 

b.i)0 

Sulphur 

100.00 
O.fiO 
0.0.54 
0.08 

100.00 
0.77 
0.22 
0.37 

iOO.OO 

O.eo 

0.21 

0.;!4 

100.00 

0.79 

0.49 

0.77 

Dull  white. 

Compact. 

Sulphur  left  in  coke 

Sulphur  percent,  in  coke 

Color  of  asli 

Nature  of  coke 

i 

§  G8.  It  is  much  to  l)e  rogrotted  that  wc  Iiavo,  as  yet,  no 
analyses  of  the  coal  of  the  great  vein  to  the  south  aiul 
southwest  of  Xelsonville  and  Haydenville.  By  c()ini)aring 
the  analyses  of  the  tables  I -IV,  the  important  fact  is  seen, 
that  while  the  coal  of  Slraitsville  and  its  vieinity  is  rich  in 
fixed  carhon,  and  eontains  but  little  sulphur,  the  coal  a  few 
miles  south  at  Lost  Kun  (tai)le  II)  becomes  rather  more 
sulphurous,  and  contains  more  volatile  matter,  so  that  while 
equally  good  as  a  steam  or  ga.s-coal,  it  should  be  less  suited 
for  iron-smelting.  Such,  as  I  am  told  by  the  late  president 
of  the  Columbus  Iron  Company,  has  been  found  to  be  the 
case  in  trials  made  at  the  Columbus  furnace  with  the  coal 
from  this  vicinity.  Hence  the  prevailing  notion  that  the  coal 
to  the  south  of  Straitsville  is  not  adapted  to  the  smelting  of 
iron.  If,  however,  we  proceed  as  far  south  as  Xelsonville 
and  Haydenville,  we  shall  tind  that  the  coal  of  these  localities 
contains  as  little  sulphur  and  ash,  less  water,  and  at  least  as 


w.r 


40 


THE    COAL    AND   IRON   REGION 


much  fixed  carbon  as  the  coals  of  Straitsville  and  New 
Straitsville  ;  and,  it  may  be  confidently  predicted,  will  be 
found  equal  to  those  in  the  blast-furnace.  The  dry-burning 
character  of  the  coal  of  the  great  vein  mined  in  Starr  and  at 
Lick  Kun  in  the  western  part  of  York  is  very  marked.  The 
coal  from  the  latter  mine  when  coked  in  a  crucible  shows  no 
tendency  to  cohere,  and  its  laminated  structure  is  still  seen 
on  the  charred  frairments. 

§  09.  The  study  of  these  very  instructive  tables  of  analy- 
ses makes  it  clear  that  there  is  a  choice  in  the  coal  of  ditfer- 
ent  sections,  according  as  it  is  wanted  for  steam,  for  gas- 
making  or  for  iron-smelting,  and  shows  moreover,  the 
importance,  i  i  many  cases,  of  making  a  selection  in  taking 
down  the  coal  of  the  frreat  vein.  Hitherto  in  mininfjcoal  at 
Straitsville  for  tiie  iron-furnaces  the  whole  seam  has  been 
used,  although  there  are,  as  we  have  seen,  considerable 
differences  in  the  benches.  There  is  little  doubt  that  by 
careful  selection,  it  will  be  possible  to  get  from  the  great 
vein  of  the  Hocking  valley  a  furnace-coal  even  better  than 
any  yet  obtained. 

§  70.  Little  is  known  of  the  Norris  or  middle  seam  of 
coal  to  the  north  of  the  Hocki'ig  River.  It  is,  however, 
mined  for  local  use  in  parts  of  Munroe,  whore  it  has  a  thick- 
ness of  4',  and  even  ()'.  Two  analyses  of  this  coal  from  sec- 
tion D  of  this  township,  are  given  by  Prof.  Wormley.  One 
of  these  afforded  water  3.80,  volatile  matter  38.80,  fixed 
carbon  52.80,  and  sulphur  3.59  ;  the  other  was  somewhat 
more  suli)hurous.  This  coal  in  Mum'oe  is  described  as 
dry-burning,  though  less  markedly  so  than  that  of  the  great 
vein.  The  coal  of  this  middh;  seam  is  also  mined  for  local 
use  in  severa'  localities  in  York,  where  its  thickness  is 
from  4'  to  4'  C>".  That  from  one  of  these  openings  in 
section  19,  showed,  when  burned  in  an  open  fire,  no  tendency 
to  soften,  and  was  in  fact  a  dry-burning  coal.  An  analysis 
of  it   made   for   me    by    Mr.    Stafford,  gave,  water   3.49, 


OF   SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


41 


volatile  matter  39.50,   fixed  carbon  51.85,   ash  5.10,   ami 
sulphur  2.09. 

The  coal  miueil  at  Carbondale  and  its  vicinity,  as  described 
in  §  47,  is  probably  the  same,  and  is,  according  to  AndrcAvfe, 
a  dry-burning  coal,  which  is  used  for  the  locomotives  on  the 
Marietta  and  Cincinnati  railroad,  and  for  consumption  at  va- 
rious points  along  the  line,  and  is  well  esteemed. 

§  71.  The  upper  seam,  or  Coal  7,  is,  unlike  the  great  and 
the  middle  seams,  a  coking  coal.  It  is  bright  and  com- 
pact, softens  and  cements  in  the  tire,  and  as  it  burns  with 
a  brilliant  ilame,  is  by  the  country  people  in  many  places 
preferred  to  the  dry  coal  of  the  great  vein.  It  is  mined  for 
local  use  in  parts  of  Salt  Lick,  Munroe,  Trimble  and  Dover, 
especially  in  the  latter  two  townships,  where  the  seam  is 
opened  at  many  points,  and  supplies  with  coal  the  whole  of 
lower  part  of  Sunday  Creek  valley.  From  this  region  it  was 
shii)ped  in  boats  by  the  Hocking  and  Ohio  rivers  to  Cincin- 
nati more  than  tiftv  vears  since. 

In  table  VIT  arc  given  analyses  of  this  upper  seam ;  the 
Stallsmith  or  liayloy's  Kun  coal.  No.  37  is  from  the  Stall- 
smith  bank,  on  section  19  of  Munroe.  The  thickness  of  the 
coal  at  this  opening  is  not  given,  but  elsewhere  in  the  same 
section  it  measures  4'  8",  and  has  a  thin  pyritous  layer  8" 
from  the  top.  Nos.  38  and  39  are  from  section  10  of  Trim- 
ble (where  also  the  seam  is  4'  8"),  and  represent  the  lower 
and  middle  portions  ;  the  upper  part  gave  2.96  per  cent, 
of  sulphur,  and  3.40  of  red  ash.  Nos.  40  and  41  arc  from 
section  7  of  Trimble,  and  arc  taken  from  the  lower  and  upper 
parts  of  the  seam,  while  No.  42  is  from  Dover,  section  34. 
In  the  vicinity  of  these  last,  as  already  stated  in  §  45,  the 
thickness  of  this  upper  seam  varies  from  4'  0'  to  5'  3". 
According  to  Prof.  Wormlcy,  the  coal  from  this  vein  gives 
a  very  hard  compact  brilliant  coke,  which  will  probably  bo 
found  well  suited  for  metallurgical  purposes.  It  may  also  bo 
expected  to  prove  a  good  gas-coal. 


I 

■»  1 


it 


'II' 


42 


THE    COAL    AND    IROX    REGIOX 


VII.       ANALYSES    OF     COAL     7     FROM     MUNUOE,    TRIMBLE     AND 

DOVER. 


Specific  gravity. 


Water 

Volatile  matter. 
Fi.\ed  carbon... 
Ash 


Sulphur 

Sulphur  in  coke 

Sulphur;  percent,  in  coke 
Color  of  ash 


No.  37.       No.  38.   I    Xo.  .S9.       No.  40. 


1.-251 


1.301 


1.264 


3.80 

.'i.OO 

4.80 

40.21 

32.30 

33.20 

51.8.* 

65.30 

50.00 

4.14 

7.10 

3.40 

4.30 
33.19 
59.00 

3.00 


100.00 
2.C2 


100.00 
1.85 
0.42 


100.00 
1.20 
0.09 


Fawn. 


Iteililisli. 


100.00 
1.20 
0.40 
0.73 

Grav. 


No.  41. 


No.  42. 


i.r>o 

31.30 

57.80 

G.40 


4.20 
35.20 
58.00 

2.no 


100.00 

1.13 

0..52 

0.80 

Whitish. 


100.00 

l.Ol 

O.tl 

0.07 

Gray. 


§  72.  The  proportion  of  sulphur  in  Coal  7,  though  sonic- 
whiit  larger  than  that  of  the  great  vein,  is  not  large  when 
compared  with  mo.st  other  coals  in  Ohio  and  elsewhere. 
From  the  analyses  of  Oluo  coals  published  by  Prof.  Wonnley, 
I  select  a  few  examples.  The  average  amount  of  sulphur  in 
seven  samples  of  the  coal  mined  at  Cambridge,  in  Guernsey 
county,  is  1.98  per  cent ;  that  of  nine  from  Coshocton  county, 
2.21  ;  of  nine  from  Stark  county,  l.Dt;  of  ten  from  Holmes 
county  2.15,  and  of  seven  from  Columbiana  county  1.9o. 
Of  the  coals  of  Great  Britain,  as  ai)pears  from  an  extended 
series  of  analyses  made  a  few  years  since  for  the  liritish 
Admiralty,  the  average  amount  of  sulphur  in  thirty-seven 
Welsh  coals  was  1.42  per  cent;  of  twenty-eight  from  Lanca- 
shire 1.42,  of  eight  Scotch  coals  1.45,  and  of  seventeen  from 
Newcastle  0.04.  The  coke  of  Durham,  esteemed  in  England 
as  the  best  fuel  for  Iron-smelting,  retains  from  0.()0  to  0.80 
of  sulphur,  and  the  Connellsville  coke  al)out  the  same  (§98). 


OF   SOUTHEKN    OHIO. 


43 


So  that  it  will  be  seen  that  the  coal  of  the  -reat  vein  of  tlie 
Hockui-  valley,  and  even  that  of  the  upper  seam,  is  more 
than  ortlinarily  free  from  sulphur. 

§73.    On  the  contrary,  the  greater  part  of  the  coals  in 
Ohio   to  the  northward  are  unusually  sulphurous.     In  the 
words  of  Dr.  Newberry,  "with  the  exception  of  the  Briar 
ilill  coal,  there  is  probably  no  seam,  which  along  its  outcrop 
north  of  the  National  Koad  (which  extends  from  Whcclin- 
on  the  Ohio  to  Columl,us)  can  supply  a  first-class  furnace! 
tuel.       Ihe  other  c(,als  of  this  region  are,  he  tells  us,  usually 
cak.ng  m  character,  and  only  fit  for  the  furnace  after  coking, 
Ihey  generally,  moreover,  contain  so   large  a  quantity  of 
sulphur  that  they  cannot  be  used  for  gas  coals,  and  he  adds  : 
It  will  bo  necessary  that  some  process  should  be  adopted 
for  riddmg  our  coals  of  the  sulphur  with  which  they  are  so 
generally  contaminated,  before  they  will  become  available 
for  the  most  important  uses."     To  this  end  he  suggests  that 
a  process  of  washing  and  coking  the  crushed  coal  be  resorted 
to  (lieport  of  Geol(,gical  Survey  for  1870,  parses  13-44) 
It  IS  hardly  necessary  to  remark  that  this  larg^e  proportion 
of  sulphur  detracts  greatly  from  their  value  for  all  other 
puri)oses   for  which   coal    is   employed,  such  as  generating 
steam,  puddling  iron  and  household  use. 

§  74.   Some  notice  of  the  IJriarllill  coal,  as  the  only  fuel  in 
OlHo  to  t  ,e  north  of  the  Hocking  valley  coal  which  can  be 
compared  with  it,  will  not  be  out  of  place.     This  name  h 
given  to  a  splint  (,r  dry-burning  coal,  which  is  No.  1  of  the 
sencs,  and  is  found  at  the  base  of  the  coal  measures  in  por- 
tions  of  Afahoning,  Trumbull,  Colmnbiana  a.id  the  adjacent 
counties  to  the  west.     It  lies  in  small  irregular  basins,  which 
were  deposited  on  an   uneven  floor,  and  are  separated  bv 
AV.de  intervals.     Prof.  M.  C.  Head  states  that  the  average  of 
workable  coal  in  the  districts  over  which  this  coal  is  sup- 
posed to  extend  will  not  exceed  one-third  of  the  area      An 
account  of  these  irregularities  will  be  found  in  his  report  nn 


44 


THE   COAL   AND   IRON   REGION 


Tniml)iill  county  (Geology  of  Ohio,  vol.  I,  pages  494,  409). 
This  coal  is  mincrl  hy  shafts  of  from  fifty  to  two  lunuli-ecl 
feet,  and  from  the  large  amount  of  water  in  the  mines  the 
cost  of  extraction  is  considerably  augmented.  Lands  hold- 
ing this  coal  with  a  thickness  of  from  3'  to  5'  readily  com- 
mand from  $500  to  $1000  an  acre,  or  a  royalty  of  from  thirty 
to  seventy  cents  a  ton  for  the  coal  mined,  according  to  the 
locality  and  the  facilities  for  shipment.  It  now  costs,  ac- 
cording to  Col.  Whittlesey,  from  $1.00  to  $1.80  per  ton  when 
brought  to  the  mouth  of  the  shaft.  The  excellence  of  this 
coal  and  its  superior  fitness  not  only  for  iron-smelting  but  for 
most  other  purposes,  not  less  than  the  prospect  of  the  ex- 
haustion of  the  deposits  at  no  distant  day,  have  combined 
to  give  to  it  the  very  highest  value  in  the  markets  of  the 
west  as  we  have  already  seen  in  §  58.  Both  in  northeast- 
ern Ohio  and  in  the  adjacent  part  of  Pennsylvania,  where 
also  this  coal  is  found,  it  is  largely  used  as  a  furnace-coal. 
Some  notion  of  the  composition  of  this  Briar  Hill  or  block 
coal,  as  it  is  often  called  in  the  Mahoning  vallej',  may  be  got 
from  the  analyses  given  on  page  46  in  table  VIII. 

§  75.  The  name  of  block  coal,  suggested  by  the  shape  of 
the  masses  into  which  it  breaks  in  mining,  has  been  applied 
to  a  similar  dry-burning  or  splint  coal,  which  within  the  last 
few  years  has  been  mined  in  the  western  part  of  Indiana,  on 
the  eastern  border  of  the  great  Illinois  coal  field,  and  as  a 
fuel  for  iron-smelting  is  nearly  equal  to  the  coal  of  the  Ma- 
honing valley.  It  is,  however,  like  this  last,  irregular  in 
its  distribution  and  interrupted  by  frequent  intervals  of  bar- 
ren ground.  The  latest  details  respecting  this  coal  field  will 
be  found  in  a  recent  editorial  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Eilers  in 
"The  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal"  for  January  31, 
1874.  At  Brazil,  in  Clay  county,  which  is  the  part  of  the  field 
as  yet  best  known,  there  are,  according  to  him,  two  seams  of 
block-coal  twenty-eight  feet  apart,  and  from  three  to  four 
feet  in  thickness.     The  lower,  being  the  firmer  of  the  two,  is 


^ 


OF   SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


4fi 


■ 


preferred  for  iron-snieltiiig,  but  for  this  purpose,  although  it 
was  at  tirst  used  alone,  it  is  now  found  advantageous  to  mix 
it  with  one-third  of  coke  for  the  treatment  of  the  ^lissouri 
ores,  which  are  there  smelted. 

The  cost  of  mining  this  block  coal,  including  the  stow- 
ing away  of  six  inches  of  the  roof,  which  falls  of  itself, 
was  at  the  end  of  1873,  from  $1.35  to  $1.75  per  ton  deliv- 
ered iu  the  railway  cars.  This  is  exclusive  of  royalty  or 
iuterest  on  capital,  but  includes  all  other  expenses.  The 
chief  drawback  to  the  successful  working  of  this  field  accord- 
ing  to  the  above  writer,  "is  the  great  irregularity  of  the 
seams,  which  are  in  some  parts  of  the  field  often  wanting 
entirely,  or  so  often  interrui)ted  by  horsebacks  that  mining 
becomes  too  expensive  to  be  [)rotitable.  Nothing  but  great 
numi)ers  of  bore-holes  put  down  before  mining  in  a  certain 
tract  is  conunenced  can  assure  the  miner  in  this  field  that  his 
land  actually  contains  the  coal."  Notwithstanding  the  appa- 
rent regularity  of  the  strata,  as  a  whole,  "one  or  more  coal 
veins  may  be  present  in  full  size  on  one  farm  wliilo  iu  the 
adjoining  one  not  a  trace  of  either  may  exist."  The  gcueral 
composition  of  the  block  coal  of  Indiana  may  be  seen  from 
the  anal^'ses  given  ou  page  4(>  in  table  VHI. 

§  76.  In  the  following  table  the  first  four  analyses  are 
of  the  coal  of  the  Mahoning  valley.  No.  43  is  a  sami)le  of 
Briar  Hill  coal  from  Chestuut  Ividge  ;  No.  44  from  Veatch's 
mine,  Youngstown ;  No.  45  from  Walworth's  mine,  Malion- 
ina:  county;  while  No.  4G  is  the  averaije  of  six  analyses  of 
the  block  coal  from  Trumbull  county.  Xo.  47  is  of  a  sample 
of  the  block  coal  from  Brazil,  Clay  county,  Indiana,  while 
No.  48  is  the  average  of  seven  analyses  of  the  same  coal 
from  six  different  mines  iu  Chi}'  county,  the  extremes  iu  the 
amouut  of  fixed  carbon  iu  these  beiug  61.5  and  53.0.  These 
analyses,  which  are  given  by  Prof.  E.  T.  Cox  in  the  "Report 
of  the  Geological  Survey  of  ludiaua  for  1869,"  are  incom- 
plete, as  they  give  us  no  indication  of  the  proportion  of  sul- 


46 


THE    COAL    AND    IRON'   REGIOX 


phur  pi'osent.     The  other  analyses  in  this  table  are  all  by 
Prof.  Worniley. 


i  *i 


VIII.       BLOCK   COALS    OF   TIIK    MAHONING    VALLEY    AND   OF 

INDIANA. 


No.  43. 


Specific  gravity 1.28t 


Water. 


S.CO 


No.  44. 


1.200 


2.47 
31.83 


Volatile  iiinttor..... !    32.5S 

i  j 

Fixed  carbon |    Oi.fiO    |    C4.2.5 


Ash. 


MO 


1.4.5 


j  lOO.CO 

Suliihur I      0.8.) 

Siiliiliur  ill  coko ' 

! 

Suli)liiir;  percent,  in  coke 


100.00 
0.5!i 
0.48 


No.  45. 


1..T23 


3.90 
29.10 
G0.40 

O.CO 


NO.  40. 


3.05 
30.10 
(U.30 

1.05 


No.  47. 


1.173 


5.40 
38.70 
53.99 

1.80 


100.00 
0.82 
O.CO 


100.00 
1.02 
0.01 
0.94 


No.  48. 


1.232 


0.10 
34.80 
57.20 

i.ao 


100.00    I  100.00 
0.75    I 


§  77.  In  this  connection  should  be  noticed  the  coals  of 
Jackson  county,  which  have  already  been  mentioned  in  §9. 
There  are  in  Lick  Township,  according  to  Andrews,  not  less 
than  three  seams  of  dry-burning  furnace-coals.  The  lowest 
of  these,  known  as  the  Jackson  Shaft-coal,  is  the  equivalent 
of  the  Briar  Ilill  of  the  Mahoniuir,  and  occupies  the  same 
position,  being  coal  No.  1.  Like  this  it  lies  somewhat  irreg- 
ularly, apparently  conforming  to  the  undulations  of  the  un- 
derlying sandstone.  Its  thickness  is  from  ?>'  to  4',  and  it  is 
used  for  smelting  in  several  furnaces  in  the  vicinity.  About 
thirty-six  feet  above  is  Coal  2,  known  as  the  Anthony  or 
Sells  coal,  which  also  varies  from  3'  to  4'  in  thitkncss. 
Sixty  feet  higher  is  Coal  3  or  the  Hill-coal,  as  it  is  called  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  town  of  cJackson,  where  it  is  used  in  ad- 
mi.xture  with  Coal  1  in  the  blast-furnaces,  and  is  from  2'  (]" 
to  3'  2"  in  thickness.     A  seam  of  cannel  is  found  about  thirty 


I 


mt 


OF    SOUTIIERX    OHIO. 


47 


i>y 


l\ 


feet  iihovc  the  Ilill-coal,  niul  at  seventy  feet  ahove  Coal  3  is 
the  blue  or  riitiiain  Hill  limestone,  whieh  itself  lies  about 
eighty  feet  below  the  Liniestone-eoal,  the  representative  of 
the  great  vein  or  Xo.  0,  which  would  thus  be  about  250  feet, 
according  to  this  estimate,  above  the  Coal  1.  From  the 
•  irregularity'  of  this  last,  however,  the  distance  in  some  cases 
nijpears  to  be  greater.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  Lime- 
stone-coal, which  in  section  21  of  Milton,  has  a  thickness  of 
3'  11'',  with  two  clay  partings  of  V  and  4"  has,  according  to 
Andrews,  l)een  used  tor  iron-smelting  in  the  Latrobe  furnace. 

§  78.  We  give  in  tal)le  IX  the  analyses  of  some  of  the 
above  coals.  X"os.  41)  and  ")0  are  of  the  Coal  1,  which,  as  it 
is  mined  by  a  shaft  at  the  town  of  Jackson,  is  known  locally 
as  the  Shaft-coal.  Xo.  51  is  a  coal  mined  i)y  shafting  at 
Wellston,  in  section  (5  of  Milton,  where  it  is  said  to  have  a 
thickness  of  4'  D",  without  a  parting,  and  has  l)een  used  with 
very  satisfactory  results,  witluiut  admixtiu'e,  in  a  blast-furnace 
at  Jackson.  This  analysis  is  by  Mr.  E.  K.  Taylor  of  Cleve- 
land. It  is  not  certain  whether  this  is  Coal  1  or  Coal  2. 
Otiier  analyses  of  it  have  given  02.0  and  ()3.()  i)er  cent,  of  fixed 
carlton.  Xo.  52  irives  the  avera<re  of  three  analyses  from 
the  bottom,  middle  and  top  of  Coal  2  in  section  So  of  Wash- 
ington township,  where  it  is  3'  2".  Another  analysis  of  the 
same  coal  from  the  land  of  Mr.  Anthony,  in  section  7  of 
Lick,  where  it  is  3'  6"  thick  and  known  as  the  Anthony  coal, 
gave  not  less  than  63.5  per  cent,  of  fixed  carlmn  and  only 
1.50  of  ash,  besides  0.*J8  of  sulphur,  »,'.'  which  the  larger 
part  was  volatile,  leaving  0.57  in  the  coke.  Xos.  53  and  54 
are  two  analyses  of  the  Coal  3  or  Mill-coal  of  Jackson,  where 
it  is  extensively  mined. 

§  79.  The  value  of  furnace-coals,  other  circumstances  bein<>- 
equal,  depends  upon  their  proportion  of  fixed  carbon,  and 
in  this  respect  these  remarkable  coals,  which  are  known  over 
a  considerable  area  in  Milton,  Lick  and  Washington  town- 
ships, much  exceed  the  block  coals  of  Indiana,  and  equal  the 


48 


THE    COAL   AND    IRON    KKGION 


best  of  that  of  the  lioekiiig  viiUoy  Held.  For  the  sake  of 
comparison  we  subjoin  an  analysis  of  the  Ashland  coal, 
■which  is  mined  at  Coalton  in  Kentucky,  and  is  not  only  used 
for  iron-smelting  there,  but  is  brought  over  to  Ironton  in 
Ohio  for  the  same  puri)ose.  This  is,  according  to  Prof. 
Andrews,  the  Limestone-coal,  the  equivalent  of  the  great 
vein  of  the  Hocking  valley,  which  though  much  reduced 
in  thickness  retains,  as  in  Milton,  its  valuahlo  properties. 
Its  analysis  gave  to  Wormley,  water  (>.(),'),  volatile  matter 
3(5.54,  fixed  carbon  r)4.28,  ash  4.53,  and  sulphur  1.07.  A 
mean  of  this  with  three  other  analyses  gives  for  the  amount 
of  fixed  carbon  of  the  Ashland  coal,  54.90,  which  is  consider- 
ably below  the  Hocking  and  Jackson  furnace-coals. 


IX.       FURNACE-COALS   OF   JACKSON    COUNTY. 


Specidc  gravity. 


Water 

Volatile  matter. 
Fixotl  carbon... 
Ash 


Sulphur 

Sulphur  In  coke 

Sulphur;  per  cent,  in  coke. 


No.  40. 


l.'iS-i 


T.75 
3I/J7 
SS.IIi) 

2.03 


100.00 
0.53 


No.  50. 


1.2U7 


No.  61. 


7.50 

•MM  30.14 

57.00  I    69.26 

4.10  I      1.60 


100.00 

0.74 

0.22 

0.34 

I 


100.00 
0.40 


No.  62. 1  No.  53. 


1.292  I      1.330 


8.77 
28.33 
01.78 

1.12 


100.00 
0.73 


7.60 
30.iHi 
67-(a 

3.70 


100.00 
0.40 


NO.  .H. 


1.281 


8.70 
28.30 
01.60 

1.50 


100.00 
0.57 
0.43 
(I.(i8 


§80.  We  have  now  given  a  description  of  the  Hocking 
valley  coal  field,  and  of  the  nature  of  its  coal,  and  have, 
moreover,  furnished  the  means  of  comparing  this  with  some 
of  the  other  coals  of  the  west,  which,  in  qualltj',  may  com- 
pete with  it.  In  the  case  of  those  of  the  Mahoning  valley 
and  of  Indiana,  we  have  seen  that  their  mining  is  effected 


OF   SOUTIIEKX    OHIO. 


49 


uiulor  ii:.s!ulviuit:ig(M)n.s  conditions;  the  irroguliiritios  of  the 
.seams,   their    thiiine^ss    aiul,   in    the   first   region,  the   pres- 
ence of  water,  unite  to  augment  their  cost.     U  now  we  h)ok 
to  the  Hocking  valley  we  «hall  lind,  on  the  contrary,  all  the 
conditions  favorable  to  the  ciicap  and  protitahle  extraction 
of   its  coal.       Over  hy  far  the  larger  part  of  this  field  of 
three  hundred  square  miles  the  coal  of  the  great  vein   lies 
above  water-level,  while  the  nppcr  vein  is  everywhere  so. 
With   the  exception  of   a  few  points    in   the    southea.stern 
part  of  the  field    the   coal  is  everywhere  got    hy  driflin"-, 
which,  if  done   against  the   dip,  affords  a  ready   drainage! 
From  the  nature  of  the  country,  however,  the  surface-drain- 
age is  such  that  the  mines  are  always  dry.     The  thickness 
of  the  seam,  from  six  feet  upwards,  is  such  as  to  allow  great 
ease  in  working,  and  there  is  no  exi)enditure  necessary  for 
cutting  away  the  floor  as  in  thinner  seams.      The  roof  of 
the  great  vein  is  a  strong  slate,  and  the  rooms  in  mining  the 
coal  near  Nelsonvillo  are  opened  with  a  breadth  of  thirty 
and  even  thirty-five  feet.     The  country,  moreover,  abounds 
in  forest  trees,  and  excellent  hard  wood  for  timbering  the 
mines  may  everywhere  be  had  on  the  land  for  the  cost  of 
cutting.     The  n^g.darity  of  the  (lour,  which  is  hard  and  dry, 
and  the  absence  of  rolls  or  undulations  are  also  noticeal)lo'. 
The  great  vein  is  found  with  remarkable  regularity,  and  only 
in  two  or  three  very  limited  localities  has  It  been  fonnd  in- 
terrupted for  short  distances  (§33). 

§  81.    The  cost  of  opening  a  mine  nnder  th< 


IS  very  small,  since  neither  pumps  nor  hoistinir- 


neco? 


conditions 
engines  are 


iry,  although  in  many  cases  it  will  probably  be  fonnd 


more  advantageous  to  .shaft  for  the  coal  and 


hill-t( 


)ps,   allow  it  to  descend   by  gravitv,  than   to  d 


out  over  tramways  for  long  distances  to  the 


i-aising  it  to  the 


raw  it 


the  valleys.     The  cost  of  the  coal  del 


openings  in 


cars  at  the  present  workings  is  not 


ivered  in  the  rail 


w 


•y 


it  is,  as  we  have  seen,  from  §1.35  to  $1.80 


over  $0.f)0  a  ton,  whih 


in   the   other 


50 


THE  COAL  AND  IKON  REGION 


* 
I'  I. 


Ill* 


l)loek  coal  regions.  Tlio  price  now  paid  for  mining  the 
coal  in  the  Hocking  valley  is  $0.(K}  a  bushel  or  $0.75  a 
ton,  and  the  miners  hero  earn  double  the  wages  of  those 
in  the  mines  of  northern  Ohio  and  Indiana.  When  the 
wages  of  labor  arc  reduced  to  the  same  scale  as  in  these 
districts,  the  cost  of  producing  coal  in  the  Hocking  valley 
will  be  con8ideral)ly  diminished.  Brown's  coal-cutter,  lately 
introduced  l)y  Messrs.  Niblack,  Ziunnerman  &  Alexander  at 
their  mines  in  Clay  county,  Indiana,  promises  to  oilect  a 
great  reduction  in  the  cost  of  coal  mining. 

§  82.  In  estimating  the  yield  of  these  mines  it  will  be 
well  to  give  some  data  familiar  to  mining-engineers,  which 
serve  as  the  basis  of  calculations.  The  specific  gravity  of 
coal  may  be  taken  at  1.25,  or  one  and  a  quarter  times  that 
of  water,  and  a  layer  of  such  coal  one  foot  in  thickness 
will  contain  in  an  acre  of  superficies  (4,840  square  yards), 
1,511)  tons  of  2,240  pounds  or  1,690  tons  of  2,000  pounds 
of  coal.  It  is  to  bo  noted  that  while  along  the  sea-board, 
coal  is  sold  by  the  ton  of  twenty  hundred-weight,  to  the 
west  of  tide-water  in  the  United  States  the  ton  is  reckoned 
at  2,000  pounds,  and  the  bushel  is  estimated  to  contain 
eighty  pounds,  twenty-live  bushels  making  a  ton.  It  is  at 
this  rate  that  the  miners,  who  work  Ijy  the  bushel,  are  paid, 
but  the  average  weight  of  a  bushel  of  most  coals  is  less. 
Thus  at  Cincinnati  a  ton  of  Pittsburgh  coal,  which  is  there 
the  standard,  is  supposed  to  measure  twenty-eight  bushels, 
while  a  ton  of  Hocking  valley  coal  at  Columbus  is  reckoned 
at  twenty-seven  bushels. 

§  83.  The  actual  yield  of  coal  in  working  a  vein  varies 
considerably.  Thus  in  the  anthracite  mines  of  Pennsylvania, 
not  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  vein  is  got  out  in  the  con- 
dition of  merchantable  coal.  In  the  Mahoning  valley  also 
the  loss  is  estimated  by  Col.  Whittlesey  to  be  at  least  as 
great,  so  that  from  a  vein  of  three  feet  in  that  region,  3,000 
tons  of  coal  to  an  acre  is  considered  a  good  return.     Much 


OF  SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


51 


better  results  than  this  arc  got  by  judicious  workini^  in 
t'iivorablc  ground,  and  \Varrin<;ton  Smyth  estimates  that  in 
Great  Hiltain,  on  an  average,  about  eighty  i)er  cent,  of  the 
coal  Is  extracted.  This,  In  case  of  long-wall  mining,  is  <»f 
course  exceeded,  while  in  other  mines  the  loss  is  as  great  as 
in  the  cases  already  mentioned.  In  the  extensive  workinijs 
of  Mr.  Brooks  near  Xelsonville  in  the  Hocking  valley,  where 
the  great  vein,  deducting  the  partings,  gives  six  feet  of  coal, 
I  am  informed  that  his  returns  are  at  the  rate  of  7,2UU  tons 
per  acre,  ecjual  to  1,200  tons  of  2,000  pounds  for  each  foot  in 
thickness  of  coal.  This,  which  is  for  merchantable  coal,  ex- 
cluding nut-coal  and  slack,  must  be  pronounced  a  fair  result, 
though  under  the  excepti(mai)ly  favorable  conditions  offered 
by  the  great  vein,  there  is  no  doubt  that  more  skilful  mining 
would  increase  this  large  production. 


IRON  ORES  AND  IRON  SMELTING  IN  OHIO. 

§  84.  Mention  has  been  made  in  §  14  of  the  abundant 
iron  ores  which  are  interstratitied  in  the  coal  measures 
throughout  Ohio.  It  is,  however,  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  state  that  they  are  l)est  known  and  have  been  most  de- 
veloped. The  first  blast-furnace  in  this  region  was  put 
iu  operation  in  1827,  near  the  village  of  Hanging  Rock  in 
Lawrence  county,  and  from  this,  the  industry  having  spread, 
the  name  of  the  Hanging  Rock  district  has  been  extended 
to  the  whole  iron-smelting  reirion  south  of  the  Ilockini; 
valley,  including  parts  of  Vinton,  Jackson,  Scioto,  (Jallia 
and  Lawrence  counties.  The  number  of  blast-furnaces  in 
this  region  in  18()9  was  forty-nine,  of  which  live  were  using 
raw  mineral  coal  and  the  others  charcoal,  and  mostly  of 
small  size.  Their  production  for  that  year  is  given  at 
106,000  tons  of  pig  iron.  I  have  not  been  able  to  get  any 
authentic  statements  of  a  later  date,  the  returns  of  the  census 
for  1870  being  very  imperfect.     I  am,  however,  informed 


\ 

\  i 


)  I 


52 


THE    COAL    AND    IRON    llEGION 


that  there  arc  in  the  HnuiriiiG:  Rock  reijion  in  1874  sixtv-five 
fiiniace.s,  l)iiilt  or  building,  including  Hve  now  ui  construc- 
tion tor  the  use  of  niineral  coal. 

§  (S").  These  furnaces  are  almost  entirely  supi)licd  with 
native  ores,  though  sonic  of  those  alorig  the  Ohio  lliver  use 
an  admixture  of  ore  from  Missouri.  V>y  far  the  greater  part 
of  these  native  ores  are  from  the  bed  known  as  the  limestone- 
ore,  from  the  fact  that  it  rests  upon  the  limestone  whieli  in 
this  southern  part  of  Ohio  overlies  the  Coal  6  (^  20).  The 
thickness  of  this  oro-depofjit  varies  from  a  few  inches  to  two 
feet  or  more.  Where  exposed  to  atmospheric  action  it  has 
oecn  converted  into  a  hydrous  peroxide  or  limonite,  a  red- 
dish or  brownish  ore,  but  away  from  the  outcrop  it  is  still 
in  the  form  of  carbonate  and  is  known  as  blue  or  gray 
ore.  The  so-called  block  ores  of  this  region  are  also  limo- 
nitcs.  The  carbonates  contain,  on  an  average,  about  forty 
per  cent,  of  iron  and  the  limonites  from  iifty  to  tifly-tive  per 
cent.  The  spccilic  gravity  of  the  limonite  ores,  as  deduced 
from  the  examination  of  twenty-nine  s[)eciniens  from  diller- 
ent  localities,  averages  2.1)0,  and  that  of  the  carbonate  ores, 
as  a  mean  of  forty-two  specimens,  is  3.37.  These  are  cal- 
culated from  the  tal»les  of  analyses  by  Prof.  )Vorndey,  the 
greater  part  from  the  Hanging  Kock  district.  It  is  usual 
before  smelting  these  ores  U)  roast  tiiem  in  hea[)s,  by  means 
of  burning  wood  underneath,  so  that  the  volatile  matters 
arc  driven  olf  and  the  percentage  of  iron  in  the  ore  is  in- 
creased. This  is  sometimi's  done  before  taking  them  to  the 
furnace. 

§  <S().  Those  ores  are  got  in  some  cases  l)y  strii)[)ing,  as  it 
is  called,  that  is  by  removing  the  earth  or  the  soft  overlying 
rock  from  the  layer  of  ore,  when  it  lies  near  the  surface. 
In  other  cases  drifting  into  the  rock  is  resorted  to,  and  is  ex- 
tensively practised  in  parts  of  liawrence  ccnmty,  where  ilio 
limestone-ore  is  from  six  to  eighteen  inches  in  thickness. 
Twelve  inches  of  ore  can,  it  is  said,  be  thus  mined  with 


/I 


OF   SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


53 


jM-ofit  in  hard  sandstono,  and  ovon  six  inches  in  soft  shales. 
If  wo  take  the  spccilie  •jnivity  of  the  ore  at  an  average  of 
3.125,  or  two  and  a  half  times  the  specific  gravity  of  coal, 
it  is  clear  that  a  continuous  layer  of  ore  one  foot  in  thick- 
ness will  contain   as  much   as  a  scam   of  coal  two  and   a 
half  feet  thick,  or  4,250  gross  tons.     As  the  small  broken 
ore  is,  unlike  the  slack  of  coal,  not  wasted,  we  may  deduct 
for  loss  ten  per  cent.,  making  thus,  the  yield  of  a  foot  of 
ore  8,900  tons  to  the  acre.     But  the  thickness  of  the  vein 
and  the  yield  of  ore  are  in  some  cases  much  greater  than 
wo  have  calculated.     In  section  22  of  Elk  township,  in  Vin- 
ton county,  as  stated  in  the  geological  report  for  1870,  the 
liniostono-oro  attains  a  thickness  of  from  two  and  a  half  to 
three  feet,  and  has  been  largely  mined  by  drifting.     Iloro 
10,800  tons  of  ore  were  taken  from  less  than  two  acres,  and 
in  another  locality  in  this  region,  the  yield  of  three  acres 
is  said  to  have  been  23,000  tons  of  ore.     Those  who  are 
obliged  to  purchase  their  ore  pay  from  $3.00  to  $5.00  a  ton 
at  the  furnace,  according  to  quality  aifd  locality  (the  linjo- 
iiitcs  and  block  ores  being  richer  than  the  carbonates)  or 
$1.00  a  ton   for  the   ore   in    the    bank,   while    those    iron- 
smelters  who  own  ore-lands  get  their  ores  much  cheaper. 
The   books   of  the   Latrobe   furnace   in  Milton  showed  for 
1872,  as  the  average  cost  of  the  ore  mined  upon  IIk^  lands, 
and  delivered  at  the  furnace,  and  yielding  forty  [)er  cent, 
of  iron,  $2.71  the  ton  of  2,240  pounds;  in  1874  from  ^1.50 
to  $2.25  is  there  paid  I)y  contract  for  the    mining   of  the 
ore.     At  some  i■urnace^    in  (Jallia  county,  the  average  cost 
of  mining  and  delivering  the  ore  at  the  furnace  is  staled  at 
$2.50  per  ton.     The  above  data  as  to  prices  of  ore  and  costs 
of  mining  are  in  great  part  furnished  me  by  the  kindnes.s  of 
Dr.   Newberry,  from  unpublished    notes,  but    in    part    also 
from  data  to  which  I  am  indebted  to  the  proprietors  of  the 
1/itrobo  furnace.     It  will  be  seen  from  t!ie  above  ealcida- 
tions  that  the  value  of  a  layer  of  ores  like  these,  one  foot  in 


.1 


54 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  KEGIOX 


i 


1 


thickness,  in  the  vicinity  of  furnaces  and  of  fuel  for  smelt- 
ing it,  is  equal  to  that  of  a  vein  of  coal  of  six  feet. 

§  87.  Besides  the  two  kinds  of  iron  ore  already  noticed, 
namely  the  carbonate  or  siderite,  and  hj'drous  peroxide  or 
limonite,  I  have  observed  in  this  region  a  third  species,  hot 
recognized  in  the  reports  of  the  geological  survey.  This  is 
the  anhydrous  red  oxide  or  red  hematite,  the  same  species  as 
the  Iron  Mountain  ore  of  Missouri,  though  not  so  pure.  In 
my  last  visit  to  southern  Ohio,  I  found  this  ore  in  nodular 
masses,  scattered  on  the  surface  at  Big  liim  in  Kome, 
Athens  county,  and  saw  similar  specimens  from  a  few  miles 
to  the  east,  where  I  was  informed  it  was  in  large  quantities  ; 
its  place  being  apparently  above  Coal  8.  I  sul)sequently  re- 
ceived a  mass  of  the  same  ore  from  section  13  of  Brown,  a 
little  south  of  Hope  Station,  where  it  is  said  to  be  so  abund- 
ant in  large  blocks,  as  to  prevent  the  ploughing  of  the  soil. 
The  place  of  this  would  be  between  Coals  (5  and  7.  I  was 
next  shown  the  same  ore  from  AVcllston,  in  ^Nlilton  town- 
ship, where  in  sinking  a  shaft,  a  stratum  of  about  two  feet 
charged  with  nodules  of  it,  was  found,  according  to  Mr. 
Ilarvoy  Wells,  about  thirty  feet  above  Coal  1.  The  ore 
from  these  throe  localities  is  in  rounded  concretionary 
masses,  which  are  dark  purplish-red  in  color,  giving  a  red 
powder,  and  so  hard,  in  parts,  as  not  to  be  scratched  with  a 
knife.  In  these  respects,  and  also  in  its  much  greater 
weight,  is  very  uidike  the  ores  commonly  mined  in  this  region. 
A  portion  of  the  ore  from  Brown  had  a  specific  gravity  of 
4.47.'),  and  yielded  by  assay  (51.00  per  cent,  of  metallic  iron, 
with  only  2.0  per  cent,  of  volatile  matter.  The  similar 
ores  from  Milton  and  Home  have  not  yet  bee;  .  so  far  as  I 
know,  assayed.  Among  the  seventy  or  eighty  published 
analyses  of  iron  ores  from  the  coal  measures  of  Ohio  given 
us  by  Prof.  Wormley,  I  find  Included  with  the  limonites 
a  single  specimen  of  an  ore  from  jNTaxburg,  Washington 
county,  which  :ipi)arently  belongs  to  this  species.     It  had  a 


OF    SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


55 


specific  gravity  of  4.544,  and  yielded  only  1.20  per  cent,  of 
water  and  55.00  per  cent,  of  metallic  iron,  besides  some 
18.00  per  cent,  of  earthy  matters,  with  no  phosphorns.  It 
wonld  seem  probable  that  from  its  nnlikeness  to  the  ordi- 
nary ores,  this  red  hematite  has  l)een  neglected  by  the  miners. 
It  is,  however,  even  richer  than  the  limonite  ores,  and  nnich 
heavier,  weighing  al)ont  one  and  a  half  times  as  much  as 
these,  and  if  abundant,  will  prove  a  very  important  ore  of 
iron. 

§  88.  In  the  Hocking  valley'  coal  field,  as  already  noticed, 
the  limestone-ore  of  the  more  southern  townshi[)s  is  no 
longer  met  with  above  the  jfreat  vein  of  coal.  The  lower 
Oi.s  of  the  series  arc,  however,  found  abundantly  along  its 
whole  western  border,  and  are  extensively  mined  for  the 
supi)ly  of  the  furnaces  of  Logan,  Columbus  and  Zanesville. 
In  Salt  Lick  township  a  layer  of  ore  of  considerable  im- 
portance is  found  about  thirty  feet  ))elow  the  great  vein  ;  and 
a  laver  of  nodular  or  kidnev  ore,  found  ci";ht  or  ten  feet  be- 
low  this  coal,  is  very  persistent  throughout  the  region.  To 
the  west  of  Straitsville,  where  it  lies  in  the  hills,  this  ore 
is  mined  to  a  large  extent  l)y  stripping,  and  sent  to  Logan 
and  Columbus.  Its  price  at  Gore  Station,  on  the  railroad,  is 
stated  from  $3.00  to  $3.25  the  ton.  Considerable  (|uantities 
of  it  have  been  got  in  like  manner  from  near  the  mouth 
of  Meeker's  Kun,  in  York,  where  it  could.  perha[)s,  be  profit- 
ably mined  by  drifting.  An  average  which  I  obtained  by 
breakin^r  several  of  the  larire  nodular  masses  of  the  carbon- 
ate  ore  found  here,  atlbrdcd  by  analysis,  metallic  iron, 
3(5.81);  insoluble,  11.87;  ahnnina,  2.82;  lime,  3.50  ;  mag- 
nesia, 2.4!1 ;  phosphorus,  0.25  ;  and  volatile,  chiefly  carbonic 
acid,  27.82.  This  ore,  after  roasting,  would  contain  51.00 
per  cent,  of  metallic  iron. 

§  81).  At  a  height  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  above  tho 
middle  or  Norris  seam  of  coal  is  a  layer  of  ore  associated 
with  a  thin  band  of  limc.-5tone  (already  mentioned  in  §  44) 


56 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  REGION 


0^ 


which  is  very  well  marked  throughout  the  Hocking  valley 
coal  field,  and  according  to  Andrews,  varies  from  (V  to  14" 
in  thickness.  I  was,  however,  assured  that  in  some  parts  of 
York  it  attains  20",  while  near  Bessemer,  in  section  12  of 
that  township,  according  to  Prof.  M.  C.  Read,  it  measures 
not  less  than  4'  V.  It  has  been  mined  to  a  considerable 
extent  by  stripping  in  parts  of  Brown,  and  to  the  northward 
in  section  24  of  Pike,  appears  in  nodules  disseminated 
through  about  three  feet  of  shale  and  e(jual  to  from  10"  to 
14"  of  ore.  Vast  quantities  of  ore,  according  to  Andrews, 
can  be  g(jt  from  this  seam  in  the  northern  part  of  the  coal 
field.  A  specimen  from  section  4,  in  Pleasant,  gave  to 
Wormley  41.3  per  cent,  of  iron,  and  a  sam[)Ie  which  I 
got  frcan  the  hills  a  little  south  of  Nelsonville,  where  it 
was  a  foot  or  more  in  thickness,  gave  metallic  iron,  57.08; 
insoluble,  1.90;  alumina,  0.33  ;  ph()si)horus,  0.2U  ;  volatile, 
12.2!).  It  is  a  very  pure  limonite,  and  when  roastCv"",  would 
contain  ()').0  per  cent,  of  iron. 

§  DO.  In  the  u[)i)er  part  of  Sunday  Creek  valley,  in  the 
townshi[)s  of  IMeasant  :ind  Miinroo,  is  a  marked  horizon  of 
iron  ore  about  fifteen  feet  above  Coal  7.  Large  blocks  of 
carbonate,  often  of  more  than  a  ton  weight,  are  ibund 
arranged  in  layers  in  the  shales,  and  the  sup|)ly  is  abundant, 
but  the  propcrtion  of  iron  in  it  is  small,  amounting  in  two 
analyses  by  \\'ormley,  to  23.8  and  2(1.1  per  cent.  Fai-ther 
to  the  southward,  however,  the  developments  of  iron  ore 
lately  mnde  known  by  the  oljservations  of  P of.  A]idrews 
and  the  Ifcv.  J.  P.  Wethee,  are  remarkable.  As  described 
in  a  recent  re[)ort  by  the  former,  there  are  in  the  southeastein 
part  of  this  coal  field,  not  less  than  seven  important  horizons 
of  iron  ore  between  Coal  7  and  Coal  8.  The  first,  or  lowest 
of  thrsc,  is  found  in  layers  of  large  nodules  in  the  shales 
from  two  to  ten  feet  above  the  Bayley's  Pun  coal,  and  is 
perhaps  the  same  with  that  noticed  above.  It  is  principally 
in  three  layers,  whicli  in  one  place  were  estimated  at  2(5", 


OF   SOUTHERN    OHIO. 


57 


but  in  section  17  of  Dover,  are  described  as  equal  to  over 
five  feet  of  ore  in  a  tliickness  of  twenty  feet  of  shales. 
A  single  specimen  from  tliis  horizon,  a  carbonate  partly 
changed  into  limonito,  gave  33.7  per  cent,  of  iron. 

§  91.    About  ten  feet  above  the  last  occurs  the  second  of 
these  horizons  of  ore,  which  seems  to  be  of  much  impor- 
tance.    It  has  been  traced  all  over  the  western  tributaries  of 
Sunday  Creek,  in  Trimble  and  Dover,  and  opened  at  twelve 
points    for   examination.     It    is    described  as  more  or  less 
nodular,  in  from  three  to  six  layers  which   are  imbedded 
in  about  six  feet  of  red  and  yellow  clays,  and  us  yielding 
blocks  often  of  several  hundred  pounds  weight.     In  section 
7  of  Trimble,  the  aggregate  of  tliese  layers  is  stated  to  be 
equal  to  a  bed  of  4'  2",  and  in  three  other  localities  to  2'  A", 
to  3'  2"  and  to  '6'  4'^     The  ore  is  a  carbonate,  partly  changed 
into  limonite,  and  gave  in  three  analyses  41.57,  29.36  and 
31.90  per  cent,  of  metallic  iron.     These,  like  many  others 
of  the  carbonates,  contain  considerable  [)ortions  of  lime  and 
magnesia,  which  are  useful  as  a  flux  for  the  silicious  matters 
also  present. 

§  92.  A  third  layer  of  similar  ore  is  just  above  tlie  little 
seam  of  coal  found  thirty  feet  above  Coal  7,  and  is  said  to 
occur  like  the  last  in  several  layers,  equal  to  3' in  the  aggre- 
gate Its  analysis  gave  28.97  per  cent,  of  iron.  A  fourth 
layer  of  ore  is  sixty  feet  above  tli«>  last  and  twelve  feet 
above  the  so-called  Cambridge  limestone  (§  12).  As  seen 
in  section  7  of  Trimble  this  ore  is  a  carbonate  12'  in  thick- 
ness, and  is  associated  with  a  layer  of  ferriiirinous  limestone. 


Thirty-tive  feet  above  the  last  is  the  fifth  hor 


izon  of  ore, 


descrii)ed   as   ccmsisting   of  two   massive   layers  having   a 
united    thickness   of  3'.     The  sixtl 


1  ore  is  about  fifty  feet 
above   the   Ames   limestone,  and    is  a  layer  of  about  15", 
while  the  seventh  is  ten  feet  hiirh 
below  the  horizon  of  the  P^ 


er,  and  about  sixty  feet 
omeroy  coal.     It  is  seen  in  the 


highest  hills  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  field  "and 


ap- 


I": 


«  • 


58 


THE    COAL   AND   IRON    REGION 


pears  to  be  several  feet  in  thickness,"  though  no  openings 
have  been  made.  The  ore  is  described  as  "a  brown  hematite 
in  nod'.des  in  ferruginous  chiy,  and  is  apparently  richer  than 
any  of  the  other  ores  found  in  this  neighborhood."  These 
last  four  ores  have,  however,  not  been  assayed,  and  are  but 
little  known. 

§  93.  It  will  be  seen  from  the  statements  which  have 
been  given,  that  the  quantity  of  iron  ore  in  this  region  is 
very  great,  and  that  the  supply  within  the  limits  of  the 
Hocking  valley  coal  field  and  along  its  borders  will  proba- 
bly last  as  long  as  the  coal  itself,  since  each  ton  of  these 
ores  requires  about  a  ton  of  coal  to  convert  it  into  pig  iron. 
The  resources  of  this  region  for  the  production  of  iron  are 
immense.  There  are  no  iron  furnaces  as  yet  in  the  Hock- 
ing valley  coal  field,  the  nearest  being  those  of  Zanesville, 
Colum1)Us  and  Logan  on  the  north  and  west,  and  those  of 
Hanging  Rock  region  to  the  southward.  We  have  already 
described  the  furnaces  of  Columl)us  and  Zanesville  (§55). 
That  at  Logan  is  a  charcoal  furnace,  which  smelts  ores  got 
chiefly  from  the  western  part  of  Salt  Lick  and  its  neighbor- 
hood. These  ores,  l)rouglit  by  teams,  cost  in  the  raw  state 
at  the  furnace,  from  $4.00  to  $4.75  the  ton.  Two  and  a  half 
tons  of  the  raw  ore  or  two  tons  of  roasted  ore  make  a  ton 
of  iron.  Charcoal  is  also  the  fuel  chiefly  used  in  the  furnaces 
of  the  Hanging  Kock  region,  but  the  supply  of  Avood  is 
failing  and  the  cost  of  charcoal  is  now,  on  an  average,  eight 
cents  a  bushel.  It  costs  seven  and  a  half  cents  at  Logan, 
and,  as  I  am  informed  from  another  source,  varies  in  the 
Hanging  Kock  region  from  seven  to  ten  cents,  the  lesser  price 
being  the  cost  to  the  smelters  who  make  their  charcoal. 
The  ordinar}'  consumption  being  here  one  hundred  and  fifty 
bushels  to  the  ton  of  iron,  the  average  cost  of  the  fuel  is 
$12.00  per  ton.  The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  mineral 
coal  will  take  the  place  of  charcoal  in  this  region. 

§  94.    As   already   mentioned,  five    blast-furnaces,  using 


or   SOUTHERN    OHIO.  59 

exclusively  mineriil  coal,  hiive  been  for  some  years  in  oper- 
ation in  the  Ilanirinjir  Kock  re<>ion.  Those  about  Jackson 
are  of  small  size.  The  Orange  furnace,  built  in  18G4,  is 
forty  feet  high,  and  produces  about  ten  tons  of  iron  dally. 
The  more  recent  ones,  nsing  the  Ashland  coal  from  Ken- 
tucky, are  large"  and  the  Ashland  furnace  on  the  Kentucky 
shore  is  sixty-tive  feet  high,  and  makes  thirty-five  tons  of 
iron  daily,  with  a  consumption  of  two  and  two-thirds  of  tons 
of  2,000  pounds,  or  5,332  pounds  of  coal,  to  a  ton  of  2,208 
pounds  of  iron.  The  above  figures  are  from  the  report  of  the 
geological  survey  for  1870.  In  the  Jackson  furnaces  the  con- 
sumption of  coal  is  stated  at  from  seventy  to  eighty  bushels 
to  the  ton  of  iron,  and  I  was  informed,  that  in  some  late  trials 
with  the  coal  from  Milton  (§  78),  during  some  weeks  in  the 
Orange  furnace,  sixty  bushels  ouly  were  used,  while  the 
product  was  declared  in  the  Cincinnati  mai'ket  to  be  equal  to 
charcoal  iron.  A  double  furnace  for  the  use  of  this  coal 
is  now  building  at  Wellston,  where  it  is  estimated  that  the 
cost  of  iron-making  will  be  as  follows  : 

Two  find  !i  half  tons  of  ore  at  .«i2.75 $().88 

Sixty  busliols  of  coal  at  ih  cents 2.70 

Tluoo-qiiarters  of  a  ton  of  limi'stone 75 

Labor       3.00 

Interest  and  expenses 2.00 

Sir,. 33 

With  a  consumption  of  150  bushels  of  charcoal  at  eight 
cents  a  l)ushel,  the  cost  of  fuel  alone  for  the  ton  of  iron  will 
be  $12.00,  raisiiiii'  its  cost  to  about  $25.00,  which  must  be 
considerably  exceeded  where  charcoal  is  higher,  or  where, 
as  appears  from  the  figiu-es  of  many  furnaces  in  liawronce 
county,  the  consumption  is  equal  to  170  bushels  of  charcoal 
to  the  ton  of  iron.  If,  however,  as  we  have  good  reason  to 
belirve,  the  coals  of  Jackson  countv  and  of  the  Hocking 
valley  are  the  equals  of  that  of  the  Mahoning  valley  for  iron- 
smelting,  the  future  of  the  iron-industry  of  southern  Ohio  is 


60 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  REOION 


assured  for  generations  to  come,  juul  the  cost  of  protlucing 
iron,  will,  from  the  abinuliuit  and  cheap  supply  of  both  ore 
and  fuel,  be  less  there  than  in  any  other  equally  accessible 
part  of  the  country. 

§  9').  The  iron  from  these  native  ores  has  long  been  highly 
esteemed  for  foundry  i)uri)oscs,  while  the  cold-blast  charcoal- 
made  iron  is  especially  i)rized  for  car-wheels,  and  commands 
a  very  high  price.  1'he  ores  of  this  region  contain  a  valua- 
ble amount  of  phos[)li()rus,  but  so  far  as  examined,  in  such 
a  proportion  as  would  .untit  them  for  the  manufacture  of 
steel.  I  have  had  made  by  Dr.  Drown  of  Philadelphia, 
determinations  of  the  phosphorus  and  sulphur  in  tM'o  speci- 
mens of  gray  pig-iron,  the  one  from  the  charcoal  furnace  at 
Logan,  and  the  other  from  the  Globe  furnace  at  Jackson, 
with  mineral  coal.     The  results  are  as  follows  : 

riiosphonts.     Suliilmr. 

Loijan  furnace 0.44  O.IOO 

Globe  furnace 0.81  0.058 

The  proportion  of  [jhosphorus  is  not  greater  than  might 
bo  expected  from  such  ores,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  the 
sniidler  amount  of  sul[)hur  is  in  the  iron  melted  with 
mineral  coal.  The  pig  irons  made  from  these  ores  of  south- 
ern Ohio,  though  of  superior  quality  for  foundry  purposes, 
and  yielding  excellent  l»ar  iron  for  all  ordinary  uses  in  the 
arts,  are  not  titted  for  the  manufacture  of  steel  for  rails  by 
the  Bessemer  process,  for  which,  with  some  partial  excep- 
tions, the  rich  ores  of  northern  Michiiran  and  ^Missouri  fur- 
iiish  our  only  native  supply. 

§  D(j.  The  amount  of  iron  ore  mined  in  the  northci'n  pen- 
insula of  Michigan,  and  known  as  Lake  Sui)eri()r  ore,  is 
very  great.  Besides  about  100,000  tons  which  are  now 
smelted  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mines,  there  were  shipped 
in  1872,  diJ2,y)3i),  and  in  1873  not  less  than  1,178, 871)  gross 
tons,  yielding  on  an  average  GO.O  per  cent,  of  iron.  This 
latter  amount  of  ore  was.  however,  in  excess  of  the  deuuuid. 


OF   SOUTIIERX   OHIO. 


61 


/b^ 


Its  price  iit  Clovelant!,  Ohio,  was?  $12.()()  a  ton  in  the  hro;in- 
nin.g  of  1873,  hnt  fell  to  $10.00  before  its  do^c,  and  will 
proI)al>iy  be  $9.00  for  1874.  This  ore,  which  is  shipped  to 
varions  ports  on  the  great  lakes,  is  smelted,  with  small 
exceptions,  by  the  coals  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  and  a 
very  larirc  proportion  of  it  finds  its  way  to  Pittsl)nrirh,  to  the 
Chenaiiiifo  valley  in  northwestern  Pennsylvania,  and  to  the 
vallcv  of  the  Mahoninii;  in  northeastern  Ohio.  It  is  also 
smelted  at  Cleveland  and,  as  we  have  seen,  is  carried  to 
Zanesville  and  Coluinl)Us.  The  receipts  of  this  ore  at  Cleve- 
land, in  1873,  are  stated  at  339,000  tons.  The  freight  from 
thence  to  Pittsburgh,  150  miles,  is  $2.2.5  per  ton. 

§  !*7.  An  iron  ore  equal  in  richness  to  that  of  Lake 
Superior,  is  mined  in  Missouri,  chiefly  at  the  Iron  .Moun- 
tain. There  are  no  published  returns  from  this  region,  but 
the  production  Is  very  large.  The  i)rice  of  the  Iron  Moun- 
tain-ore, which  was  $10.00  in  1873,  i«  fixed  for  1874  at  $8.00 
a  ton  at  St.  Louis.  The  ores  of  this  region  n)ust  be  shipped 
to  points  where  cheap  fuel  can  be  had  for  smelting  them,  and 
naturally  find  their  way  up  the  Ohi<;  River  as  a  return-freight 
on  the  numerous  vessels  employed  in  bringing  down  coal. 
Aa  a  result  of  this  large  quantities  of  these  ores  are  brought 
to  Pittsburgh  to  be  smelted. 

§  98.  Iron  is  smelted  at  Pittsburgh  with  Connellsville  c(jke, 
of  which  80  bushels  or  3,200  pounds,  with  Ig  tons  of  Lake 
Superior  ore  are  required  to  make  a  ton  of  iron.  In  order 
to  show  the  imi)()rtance  of  this  coke  or  a  similar  fuel  for  the 
metallurgy  (jf  (he  west  it  may  be  well  to  give  some  few  fiicts 
with  regard  to  it.  The  coal  of  ihe  great  Pittsbuigh  seam, 
which  in  the  vicinity  of  Comiellsville  attains  a  thickness  of 
from  9'  to  12',  is  mined  very  chcai)ly.  As  there  is  no  ob- 
ject in  getting  out  large  coal  the  vein  is  taken  down  at  a 
cost  of  al)out  IJ  cents  a  bushel.  This  coal  yields  (J5  per 
cent,  of  coke,  100  bushels  of  it  producing  125  bushels  of 
coke,  which  weighs  forty  pounds  to  the  bushel.     Its  com- 


62 


THE  COAL  ANL  lUON  REGION 


position,  as  iippcars  from  iiii  iiiiah'sis  of  an  average  sample 
made  from  forty-nine  pieces  was  as  follows  :  carbon,  87.450  ; 
ash,  11.382;  moisture,  0.490  ;  snli)linr,  0.(51)3  ;  ph()Si)liorus, 
0.029  =  100.000.  The  ash  contained  47.0  per  cent,  of  silica, 
and  47.0  of  alumina.*  This  coke  is  brought  tifty-Hve  miles 
by  rail  to  Pittsburgh,  and  is  there  sold  to  western  consumers 
for  eight  cents  a  bushel  or  $4.00  a  ton.  Its  freight  from  thence 
to  Cleveland,  150  miles,  costs  $2.25  per  ton.  The  Con- 
ncllsville  coke,  from  its  great  density  and  its  acknowledged 
excellence,  supplies  almost  the  whole  market  of  the  west, 
going  as  far  as  Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  and  even  to  Utah, 
where  it  is  used  for  smelting  the  silver-lead  ores  of  that  re- 
gion. Some  account  of  the  magnitude  of  this  conmierce  in 
coke  will  be  given  in  speaking  of  the  western  coal  trade 
(§105).  Very  little  coke  is  now  made  in  Ohio,  and  that 
chiefly  at  Steubenville,  though  the  same  Pittsburgh  seam  has 
been  found  to  yield  an  excellent  coke  at  Big  Run,  in  Athens 
county,  and,  as  we  have  shown  in  §71,  the  Coal  7  or 
Bayley's  Run  seam  in  the  Hocking  valley  field  gives,  accord- 
ing to  Prof.  Wormley,  a  coke  of  superior  quality. 


THE  COAL  TRADE  OF  THE  NORTH  AND  WEST. 

§  99.  A  knowledge  of  the  coal  markets  of  the  north  and 
west,  their  sources  of  supply  and  their  growing  demands  is 
most  important  in  relation  to  the  Hocking  valley  coal  tield, 
and  we  accordingly  give  here  some  figures  which  help  to 
throw  light  on  this  subject,  gathered  in  [)art  from  data  given 
in  the  recent  valuable  compilation  by  Mr.  F.  E.  Saward  of 
New  York,  entitled  "The  Coal  Trade,"  and  in  part  also  from 
notes  furnished  by  Mr.  E.  D.  Manstield  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
We  will  beu'iu  with  Chica<>'o,  where  the  trade  in  coal  has  don- 
bled  within  the  last  tive  years.    The  importations  in  1869 

*  I  flud  this  nnnlyais  iu  Sawnrd'e  lunuual  eutitled  "  The  Coal  Trade,"  wUere  the  uanio 
of  the  aualyct  is  uot  given. 


m 


OP   SOUTIIEHX   OlflO.  ,,o 

were  790,000  tons,  and  in  1873  anmnntod  to  1  420  000  f 
(o{  which    177  i\>i'\   t  I  1,4^(^(H)0  tons 

COALS  KECEIVEU  AT  CIIICAOO  ly  1873. 

In  vessels  l)y  the  lake T„n,. 

By  ;;;"^|>'"'Ki..  cindnnati  a.ui  ^i'LoX'v>:ii^;a:.::: T-'"' 

lilt-l.uiKhan.l  FoitWa.vne  railroail...               '''"■'"" 

Lake  .Shore  railroad w»,4«l 

t'liicago  ami  Alton  railroad. . .'.".'.'..*.'.*" •'"'••"!> 

ChiffiKo  and  Vincennes  railroad".'.".'.' 2()ii.7hO 

lllinoKs  Central  railroad ..'.''. ail.T.Vi 

Chicago  and  Xortii western  railroad' ''''''''^ 

Chicagoand  ISnrlington  railroad..   •'"•'"7 

Chicago  and  Kock  Island  niilrond".. -'^■'^•'■■J 

Illinois  Canal I5.;U({ 

Total -1— J:i!f 

lal-VuoO^i' /'"  """"".'•''^  '"''  '''"'"^  '"  Chi™rC  the 
I.  ko,  J0,i.l»2  tons  were  bituminous  coal,  and  4')',  7(tr, .,  ., 

etc.     These    which  togcthe.  with  the  ^^  !,  et  'i;!"       t;" 
three  raiiroiuls  namej,  make  ni)  840  SI",  /„„.         ■ 
"u."l.e..,  three-mths  of  the  whL  l',    i  n  o    ^J  u'lfT.'' 
cugo,  co,„e  wholly  f..„n.  the'states  of  Ohio  a  ,c  P      , L",  ...^    " 
Ihc  ,,ncesot  coal  iu  Chicago  are  much  atleetecl    v     i  " 
0;n.g  cost  of  lake.trau.,,ortation.    The  frei^htlf  ,f ,    ,   T' 
whciice  most  of  tl,„  „„M ,    ,       .   °  "°  """'  ""iralo. 


ot  the  tinthnicite  ti.ul  til.so  the  Blossbui 


sliippetl,  reached  in  1672  as  hi^di 


which  time  the  average  price  of  anti 
$11.00  the  ton;  Avhile  in  1873  the 


lis  $2.50  i^er  ton,  d 


■g  eoal  IS 


tiracite  in  Chi 


>  ciiirin<r 
cn<Tfo  was 


$1.00,  rose  to  $1.18,  and  tlien  rapidly  d 
financial  tronbles  of  the  autnnin,  wh 


ont  charge  as  ballast.  The  result  of  tl 
and  other  coal  by  the  lakes  during  the 
usually  low,  the  average 

$y.aO  while  that  of  all  othe 
by  mil,  has  been  reduced 


nite  of  freight  opened  at 

eclined  during  the 

^n  coal  was  taken  with- 


not  only  the  anthracite  and  the 


!"s  is  that  anthracite 
past  year  has  been 

M?,'f ...''"."°  "'■  :"';'"-"<^"<'  ''-"g  "bout 

come 
are  received 


r  coals,  including  those  which 
accordingly.     By  hike 


Blossb 


ui-g  coals,  but  the 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


m  11^ 

',  5  0  

•^  IIIIM 

36 


4;.'      J 


iO 


1.4 


||M 

2.2 

1.6 


^/ 


Y 


# 


<? 


/; 


/. 


.^^ 


c 


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s 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY    14S80 

(716)  872-4503 


G4 


THE    COAL   AND    IROX    REGIOX 


Briar  Hill  coal  from  Mahoning  valley,  and  the  similar  coal 
from  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania,  which  from  the  place  of 
its  shipment,  is  known  as  Eric  coal.  The  Pittsburgh,  Cin- 
cinnati and  St.  Louis  railroad,  and  the  Pittsburg  and  Fort 
^Vilyne  railroad,  Itring  to  Chicago  the  coals  of  the  Hocking 
valley,  and  also  coal  from  Walnut  Hill  and  Midway,  I'enn- 
sylvania  ;  while  the  remainder,  equal  to  two-fifths  of  the  coal- 
su[)ply,  comes  from  the  adjacent  coal  field  of  Illinois  and 
western  Indiana.  We  have  seen  from  tlie  fijjures  given  in 
§  58  that  these  latter  coals  arc  less  esteenied  than  others, 
since,  while  Briar  Hill,  Erie  and  Hocking  valley  are  (juoted 
at  $8.00  to  $8.50,  the  l)lock  coal  of  Indiana  is  $0.50,  and  the 
coal  of  Illinois  $5.00.  The  reasons  why  Chicago  gets  the 
greater  part  of  her  coal-supply  from  the  east  are  thus  two- 
fold ;  first,  the  advantages  offered  by  return-freights,  both  l)y 
lake  and  by  rail,  and  second,  the  superior  quality  of  the  coals 
which  are  furnisheil  by  Ohio  and  Penuf^ylvania.  The  two 
gas-companies  of  Chicago  now  consiime  110,000  tons  of  coal 
annually,  and  the  four  principal  iron-works  12<!,000  tons. 

§  101.  Milwaukee,  which  receives  the  wIkjIc  of  its  coal- 
supi)ly  by  the  lake,  imported,  in  18(>1),  87,D(iO  tons,  and  in 
1873  not  less  than  210,li)l  tons,  showing  an  increase  at  the 
rate  of  M)  per  cent,  per  annum.  A  consideral)le  iron-industry 
is  springing  up  here.  There  were  imported  into  Milwaukee 
in  18(51),  12,180  tons  of  iron,  and  this  rose  last  year  to  4i),(K)0 
tons;  while  there  were  produced  in  Wisconsin,  in  large  part 
it  is  believed,  with  mineral  (.'oal,  about  100,000  tons  of  iion 
against  (57,600  in  1872.  For  Detroit  the  importation,  alto- 
gether by  the  lake,  for  18G9,  is  estimated  at  200,000,  but 
amounted  in  1873  to  370,500  tons,  a  yearly  increase  of  over 
20  per  cent.  Details  of  the  coal  imported  into  various  parts 
of  Ontario,  such  as  Sarnia,  Windsor  and  Port  Stanley,  are 
wanting,  but  the  amount  is  consideral)le,  anti  the  demand  in 
that  county  for  coal  is  rapidly  increasing  with  the  great  de- 
velopment of  railways  and  of  manufactures. 


/I 


'.C 


} 


OF  Southern  oiiio. 


65 


§  102.  Cleveland  receives  a  great  amount  of  coal,  and  is 
at  the  same  time  the  seat  of  large  manufactures,  and  a  centre 
for  the  distribution  of  coal  by  the  lake.  Here  come  the 
coals  from  the  Mahoning  valley,  from  the  Hocking  valley, 
Massillon  and  other  points  in  Ohio,  and  to  some  extent  coal 
and  coke  from  the  Pittsburgh  region.  The  fi^fures  of  the  coal 
trade  of  Cleveland,  compiled  from  the  returns  of  various 
transportation-companies,  show  a  constant  and  regular  in- 
crease bo  h  in  the  consumption  and  shipment  of  coal  at  this 
city.  From  the  table  given  by  Savvard,  we  extract  the 
following  as  the  number  of  tons  of  coal  received,  shipped 
and  used  at  Cleveland  : — 


KeceivL'd. 

Shipped. 

Consumed. 

1865     . 

.     .     405,555     . 

.     .     230,000     . 

.     .     229,550 

18G9     . 

.     .     922,757     . 

.     .     495,800     . 

.     .     420,957 

1873     . 

.       1,599,212     . 

.     .     854,862     . 

.     .     744,350 

The  amount  of  coal  received  has  thus  more  than  trebled 
since  18G5,  the  average  annual  increase  in  receipts  since 
that  date  being  at  the  rate  of  31  per  cent,  while  it  has  doub- 
led since  1868,  when  759,104  tons  were  received. 

§  103.  Sandusky  is  destined  to  become  an  important  port 
for  the  shipment  of  coal,  being  as  will  be  seen,  the  nearest  lake- 
port  to  the  Hocking  valley  region.  It  began  in  1872  with 
the  shipment  of  20,450  tons,  which  was  increased  in  1873  to 
77,157  tons.  Preparations  for  1874  are  made  on  a  greatly 
extended  scale  for  the  shli)mcnt  of  coal,  and  for  the  reception 
of  Lake  Superior  iron  ore,  of  which  29,500  tons  were  brought 
to  this  port  in  1873.  There  is  little  doubt  that  Avith  proper 
railway  and  shipping  facilities,  a  great  trade,  l)olh  in  coal  and 
ore,  will  here  be  built  up  in  connection  with  the  Hocking 
valley  region.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Toledo,  when  the 
railroads  now  in  progress  shall  have  opened  more  direct  com- 
munications I)etween  this  port  and  the  coal  Held.  It  received, 
in  1809,  21,457  tons  and  in  1873,  37,868  tons  of  coal. 

§  104.    liufl'alo  is  a  point  of  importance  in  relation  to  the 
coal  trade  in  the  northwest,  and  receives,  besides  large  quan- 
G 


I   '•'■■'. 


66 


THE  COAL  AND  IRON  REGION 


V  '       • 

ii      '■■''': 

■I 


titles  of  coal  from  the  eastward  both  by  rail  and  canal,  a  very 
considerable  amount  from  the  west,  partly  by  the  Lake  Shore 
railroad,  and  partly  b}-^  vessels  from  ports  in  Lake  Erie. 
Besides  that  required  for  the  consumption  of  the  city  and 
its  vicinity,  amounting  now  to  about  600,000  tons  a  year,  a 
great  quantity  of  coal  is  reshipped  to  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
and  other  western  ports  as  a  return-freight  in  the  vessels 
which  bring  grain  to  this  port.  Besides  this,  67,210  tons 
were,  in  1873,  shipped  eastward  through  the  Erie  canal,  and 
by  this  route  the  coal  of  Ohio  is  beginning  to  find  its  way  to 
New  York.  The  returns  of  the  coal  trade  of  Buffalo  for 
1873  are  as  follows  : 

COAL  TRADE  OF  BUFFALO  FOB  1873. 

Tom. 

Anthracite  from  the  east  by  canal 254,044 

Anthracite  from  the  east  by  rail 470,885 

Bituminous  from  the  east  by  canal 125,000 

Bituminous  from  the  west  by  rail 190,000 

Bituminous  from  the  west  by  lake 85,139 

Total 1,133,0(J8 

§  105.  We  may  now  notice  the  coal  trade  of  the  Ohio, 
beginning  however  at  Pittsburgh,  which  is  the  centre  cf  a 
traffic  which  now  equals  about  160,000,000  bushels  yearly, 
including  the  coal  and  coke  which  are  mined  and  manufac- 
tured in  its  vicinity,  and  either  consumed  there  or  sent  to 
various  points,  not  only  down  the  Ohio  River,  but  eastward 
and  westward  by  rail.  There  were  shipped  over  the  west- 
ern end  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  in  1872,  17,770,104 
bushels  of  coal  and  12,900,000  bushels  of  coke ;  the  latter 
going  west,  while  the  greater  part  of  the  coal  went  east. 
Twenty-five  years  ago  the  entire  annual  production  of  the 
region  was  only  about  4,500,000  bushels.  The  amounts  of 
coal  and  coke  received  at  Pittsburgh  during  three  years  are 
as  follows : 


1670., 
1871. 
1872. 


COAL  AND  COKE  RECEIVED  AT  PITTSBURGH. 

Buthcli  Coal.  Buihcli  Coke, 

67,388,725 11,504,000 

9<i,786,635 23,357,400 

115,0(»,146 43,027,766 


OF  SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


67 


f 


The  increase  in  the  production  of  coal  for  these  years  is 
at  the  rate  of  35  per  cent,  and  that  of  the  coke  has  doubled 
each  year.  We  have  already  described  the  Connellsville 
coke  and  its  extended  use,  in  §  98. 

§  106.  The  receipts  of  coal  at  Cincinnati  are  given  below 
from  the  returns  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  to  these 
are  added  the  prices  of  the  coal  as  delivered  for  the  last 
five  years,  the  price  of  the  coal  afloat  being  about  four 
cents  less.  Coal  on  the  Ohio  River  is  bought  and  sold  by 
the  bushel,  and  although  Pittsburgh  coal  is  calculated  to 
weigh  about  seventy-six  pounds  to  the  bushel,  twenty-eight 
bushels  are  reckoned  the  equivalent  of  a  ton  at  Cincinnati. 

COAL  RECEIVED  AT  CINCINNATI. 

Bushelt.  Average  price. 

l»®-«* 15,975.306 

1884-65 16,467,023 

1805-66 18,(>22,!)!tO 

1806-67 18,440,266 

^^'-<'^ 17,500.000 22.1^  cents. 

1808-69 25,500,000 10.(59      » 

1869-70 30.300,000 15.37      « 

18"0-7I 22,972,000 1.5.82      •< 

1871-72 30,770,796 22.08      « 

1872-73 37,274,497 20.72      • 

The  annual  increase  in  the  receipts  of  coal  for  the  last 
five  years  has  been  at  the  rate  of  over  22.0  per  cent.  The 
various  coals  received  for  the  year  ending  September  1,  1873 
(amounting  to  1,380,537  tons),  are  classified  in  the  returns 
as  follows : 

„       ..     .               ,  Bushels, 

Youghiogheny  coal 24,062„373 

Ohio  River  Rod  Kanawha  coal 11  0-5  072 

"i^T^-- '.'^^'''::::.:A,mm 

^"""•'«="« 76,000 


37,274,497 


§  107.  The  coal  designated  as  Youghiogheny  is  that  which 
is  brought  down  from  Pittsburgh,  amounting  to  over  two- 
thirds  of  the  whole.  A  great  part  of  the  remainder  comes 
from  Pomeroy  in  Meigs  county,  and  its  vicinity.  The  an- 
nual coal-production  of  this  county,  according  to  Professor 
Andrews,  is  now  estimated  at  9,000,000  bushels.     The  coke 


,,  s 


68 


THE    COAL   AND   IRON   REGION 


sold  at  Cincinnati  in  1872-73  amounted  to  3,594,820 
bushels,  some  of  which  comes  from  Pittsburgh,  while  some 
more  is  made  at  Cincinnati.  Of  the  coal  received  a  consid- 
erable proportion  is  redistributed,  being  sent  northward  into 
the  interior  of  the  state,  to  various  points  within  a  radius 
of  one  hundred  miles  and  more,  to  supply  the  increasing 
demand  for  coal  in  the  country  districts.  This  amounted  in 
1872-73  to  4,472,400  bushels,  or  165,644  tons.  The  iron- 
manufacturing  industries  of  this  city,  which  consume  a  large 
quantity  of  coal,  are  of  large  and  growing  importance.  In 
the  absence  of  any  other  data  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the 
receipts  of  pig-iron  at  Cincinnati  show  a  steady  increase 
from  41,093  tons  in  1869  to  130,795  tons  in  1873. 

§  108.  The  price  of  coal  at  Cincinnati  is  subject  to  great 
fluctuations,  as  shown  in  the  above  table,  where,  however, 
the  average  for  six  years  is  18.59  cents  per  bushel.  Neither 
this  nor  the  j^earjy  averages  serve  to  give  a  correct  notion  of 
the  average  cost  of  coal  to  the  consumers,  to  determine 
which  it  would  be  necessary  to  know  the  amounts  sold  at 
each  price.  On  September  1,  1872,  the  cost  of  Youghi- 
ogheny  coal,  delivered,  was  twenty  cents  the  bushel.  It 
rose,  hovevcr,  in  October  to  twenty-seven  cents,  and  reached 
in  December  twent^'-eight  cents,  falling  gradually  from  this 
time  until  in  May  it  was  sold  at  seventeen  and  eighteen 
cents,  after  which  it  rose  again  to  twenty  cents,  which  price 
it  maintained  with  little  change  till  September  1,  1873. 
These  variations  depend  in  great  part  on  the  state  of  the 
navigation  of  the  Ohio,  whicli  is  liable  to  be  interrupted  by 
ice  in  winter  and  by  low  water  in  summer.  The  unusually 
open  navigation,  coupled  with  the  business  depression  has 
reduced  the  price  of  coal  at  Cincinnati,  duiing  the  winter 
and  spring  of  1874,  to  a  point  seldom  reached,  Youghi- 
ogheny  coal  being  from  twelve  to  fourteen  cents,  delivered. 
Great  fluctuations  like  these  in  the  price  of  coal  are  obviously 
injurious  to  the  manufacturing  and  commercial  interests  of  a 


/ft 


i:i 


OP   SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


69 


business  centre  like  Cincinnati,  and  a  regular  supply  of  coal 
not  dependent  upon  the  caprices  of  the  river-navigation 
would  be  a  great  advantage.  During  the  last  year  or  two 
the  Hocking  coal  has  been  to  some  extent  brought  to  Cin- 
cinnati, though  the  railway  connections  with  the  mines 
opened  in  that  region  are  far  from  direct.  By  the  Marietta 
and  Cincinnati  railroad,  the  southern  parts  of  the  Hocking 
valley  Held  are  less  than  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  from 
Cincinnati,  and  the  freight  for  this  distance,  at  one  cent  and 
a  quarter  a  ton  per  mile,  the  ordinary  rate  of  freight  for  coal 
on  the  Ohio  railroads,  would  be  less  than  $2.00,  while  the 
coal  can,  as  we  have  seen,  be  put  on  the  cars  in  the  Hocking 
valley  for  $0.00  the  ton,  so  that  it  would  be  possible  with 
proper  means  of  transportation  to  lay  down  at  all  seasons,  in 
Cincinnati,  the  superior  coals  of  this  region,  at  prices  consid- 
erably below  the  average  cost  of  the  coals  brought  by  river. 


RAILWAY    COMMUNICATIONS    WITH    THE 
HOCKING  VALLEY. 

§  109.  As  yet  the  means  of  exporting  coal  from  the  Hock- 
ing valley  are  very  inadequate.  Previous  to  18G9,  it  was 
accessible  only  by  the  Hocking  Canal,  which  runs  from 
Columbus  to  Athens.  The  Columbus  and  Hocking  Valley 
railroad,  between  the  same  i)()ints,  was  opened  in  that  year, 
and  has  since  shown  a  steadily  growing  coal  trade,  so  that  it 
is  now  in  contem[)lution  to  lay  down  a  double  track  with  steel 
rails.  The  receipts  of  coal  at  Columbus,  by  this  road,  have 
been  as  follows,  reckoning  as  is  there  done,  twenty-seven 
bushels  to  the  ton. 

Tona. 

1870    50,000 

1871     2.)0,0()0 

l>il-i    (iOO.OOO 

1873    80J.000 

Columbus  consumes  a  considerable  proportion  of  this  coal 


r 


70 


THE   COAL   AND    IRON   REGION 


n 

ii 


•1 

■    *f 


■■•  t 


iu  munufactures,  and  the  remainder  is  sent  by  rail  to  various 
points  and  largely  to  Chicago.  The  Newark,  Somerset  and 
Straitsville  railroad,  opened  in  1872  to  Shawnee,  carried  to 
Newark  in  1873,  300,000  tons  of  this  coal,  of  which  a  large 
portion  went  to  the  lake-ports. 

§  110.  These  aro  as  yet  the  only  two  outlets  from  the 
Hocking  valley  coal  tield,  but  the  importance  of  the  region 
has  led  to  several  new  lines  which  are  in  process  of  construc- 
tion, while  others  are  projected.  Of  the  former  we  may 
mention  trst  the  Atlantic  and  Lake  Erie  railroad,  destined 
to  connect  Toledo  on  Lake  Erie,  with  Pomeroy  on  the  Ohio 
River,  which  will  pass  through  the  eastern  part  of  the  coal 
field  down  the  valley  of  Sunday  Creek,  by  New  Lexington, 
MoxaLala  and  Ferrara,  thus  connecting  this  part  of  the  field 
directly  both  with  the  lakes  and  the  river.  By  this  route,  now 
building,  the  distance  from  Toledo  to  Ferrara  will  bo  174 
miles;  while  by  the  present  connections  it  is  198  miles  from 
Toledo  to  Shawnee  by  the  way  of  Newark,  and  from  Toledo 
to  Straitsville  by  the  way  of  Columbus,  183  and  190J  miles 
by  two  diflferent  lines. 

§  111.  Another  railroad  is  now  being  built  by  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad  company  from  McLuney,  a  station  five 
miles  east  of  New  Lexington  on  the  Cincinnati,  Wilmington 
and  Zanesville  railroad  (which  is  controlled  by  that  company) 
to  Moxahala  and  thence  to  McCuneville  near  Shawnee  on 
the  Newark,  Somerset  &  Straitsville  railroad,  thus  giving  a 
direct  communication  from  the  coal  field  to  Zanesville.  In 
connection  with  this  a  short  portion  of  road  between  Dres- 
den and  Oxford  will  give  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  com- 
pany a  direct  line  from  the  coal  field,  by  the  way  of  Zanes- 
ville, to  Cleveland.  The  coal  from  this  field  has  hitherto 
reached  Cleveland  through  Shelby  on  the  Cleveland,  Co- 
lumbus &  Cincinnati  railroad,  either  by  the  way  of  Newark, 
from  Shawnee,  a  distance  of  181  miles,  or  from  New  Straits- 
ville, by  Columbus,  197  miles.     By  the  new  route  through 


OF   SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


71 


I 


Zanesville  the  distance  from  Fcrrara,  in  the  centre  of  the 
Sunday  Creek  valley,  to  Cleveland,  will  be  but  164  miles. 
It  is  also  proposed  to  build  a  few  miles  of  road  from  Oxford 
to  Loudonville  on  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago 
railroad,  which  will  effect  a  good  connection  with  the  lines 
of  that  company  to  Sandusky,  Toledo,  Chicago  and  the  north- 
west. 

§  112.  The  Newark,  Somerset  and  Straltsville  railroad  is 
now  leased  to  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railroad  company, 
which  also  controls  the  Marietta  and  Cincinnati  railroad. 
From  the  Carbondale  branch  on  this  latter  an  extension  is 
about  to  be  built  a  distance  of  twenty-two  miles  through 
York  and  Ward,  passing  up  Monday  Creek  and  Snow  Fork 
valleys,  to  Shawnee,  the  present  terminus  of  the  N.  S.  and 
S.  R.  R.,  from  which  point  a  road  is  projected  eastward  by 
Buckingham  to  Ferrara.  From  Newark  to  Sandusky,  a 
direct  lino  is  now  opened  by  the  way  of  Mansfield.  The 
Baltimore  and  Obio  company  is  also  constructing  an  inde- 
pendent line  from  Newark  to  Chicago,  passing  through 
Fostoria,  and  now  built  nearly  as  far  as  Defiance,  thus 
giving  a  direct  connection  between  Chicago  and  the  coal 
field,  independent  of  the  Pittsburgh  and  Fort  Wayne  rail- 
road over  Avhich  a  largo  amount  of  coal  from  it  is  now 
sent,  passing  by  an  indirect  route  from  Columbus  to  Crest- 
line. A  projected  road  from  Columbus,  by  Bellefontaine, 
joining  the  Pittsburgh  and  Fort  Wayne  railroad  at  Lima, 
will  make  the  communication  between  this  coal  field  and 
Chicago,  still  more  direct,  while  another  projected  line  pass- 
ing by  Marion  and  Fostoria,  will  also  give  a  direct  connec- 
tion between  Columbus  and  Toledo.  This  latter  city  will 
become  important  for  the  coal  trade,  both  as  a  shipping-port 
and  as  a  point  whence  coal  can  be  sent  by  the  railways 
diverging  northward  and  northwestward  to  Detroit  and 
throughout  the  state  of  Michigan. 

§  113.    Columbus  will  also  serve  as  a  centre  for  the  distri- 


M' 


72 


THE    COAL   AND   IRON    REGION 


m* 


'1 

,  f4       :    " 


.  i: 


{I'm 
^5r 


bution  of  this  coal  to  some  of  the  western  and  southwestern 
parts  of  Ohio  and  Indiana.  The  distance  by  rail  from  New 
Straitsvillo  to  Dayton,  via  Columbus,  is  134  miles.  From 
Dayton  to  Ferrara  by  the  Cincinnati,  AVihnington  and  Zanes- 
ville  railroad  (also  known  as  the  Cincinnati  and  Miiskini^um 
Valley  railroad)  and  an  incompleted  link  from  Washington 
on  this  road,  to  Xenia,  will  however  bo  but  118  miles. 

§  114.  From  Logan  on  the  Columbiis  and  Hocking  Valley 
railroad,  another  line  is  now  partly  graded,  passing  south- 
ward, through  Starr,  along  the  western  border  of  the  coal 
field  to  the  Marietta  and  Cincinnati  railroad,  which  it  will 
intersect  at  Vinton.  It  is  destined  to  reach  the  Ohio  River 
at  Gallipolis  ;  while  from  Hampden  on  the  M.  and  C.  R.  R., 
a  line  now  runs  to  Portsmouth  on  the  Ohio.  The  M.  and  C. 
R.  R.  crosses  the  southern,  and  as  yet  unopened  part  of  this 
coal  Held  in  Brown  and  AVaterloo,  not  more  than  150  miles 
from  Cincinnati,  while  b}'  the  extension  of  the  Carbondalo 
branch  of  this  road  through  York  to  Shawnee,  the  present 
mines  on  the  banks  of  the  Hocking  River  will  be  about  160 
miles  from  Cincinnati.  From  this  city  to  Ferrara  by  the  Cin- 
cinnati and  Zanesville  railroad,  the  distance  will  be  157 
miles. 

§  115.  These  railway  lines,  as  Col.  I.  B.  Riley,  of 
Newark  lias  well  said,  "place  all  the  principal  coal-markets 
of  Ohio  nearly  equidistant  from  this  field,  making  the  dis- 
tance to  Sandusky  and  Cincinnati  about  160  miles  each,  and 
to  Cleveland  and  Toledo  about  170  miles,  and  furnishing 
competing  routes  to  each  place."  The  usual  rate  of  charge 
for  coal  over  the  Ohio  roads  is  one  and  a  quarter  cents  per 
mile,  per  ton,  so  that  the  carriage  to  these  points  will  not 
vary  much  from  $2.00  per  ton.  Adding  to  this  $0.90, 
the  average  estimated  cost  of  mining  the  coal  of  the  ufreat 
vein,  including  the  expenses  at  the  coal  bank,  this  coal  will 
then  cost,  delivered  at  the  principal  points  of  consumption 
and  of  the  shipment  in  Ohio,  about  $3.00  per  ton. 


%_ 


OF    SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


73 


CONCLUSIOX. 

§  IIG.  Iliiving  shown  the  present  and  the  prospective 
fiicilltios  for  eomniunication  with  the  west  and  northwest 
from  all  parts  of  the  Hocking  valley  coal  field,  it  now  only 
remains  to  make,  in  conclnsion,  some  remarks  on  its  impor- 
tance in  a  near  future  as  a  source  of  coal.  By  recapitulating 
the  results  of  the  inquiry  made  in  previous  pages  into  the 
coal  trade  of  the  west,  it  will  l)o  seen  that  excluding  Buffalo 
and  Pittsburgh,  for  the  reason  that  they  are  furnishers  of 
coal  to  the  more  western  points,  we  have  for  the  amount  of 
coal  received  at  the  cities  named  below  in  1873,  and  for  its 
annual  rate  of  increase  for  the  five  years  up  to  that  date,  the 


following  figures 


Tons  in  1873. 

Cincinnati l.-WCSS?. 

Cleveland  l,59!),21-2 

^'Mi-'itio l.ViO.OO,-). ..." 

Mil  wnnlvee 210, 191 ... . 

I'ctroit -m.rm.... 

Sandusky 77.ir)7 

Toledo ;{7.()88. 


Annual  increase. 
....22  per  cent. 
.....'11  percent. 
— 20  per  cent. 
— tin  per  cent. 
. . .  .20  per  cent. 


o,0!,r),2i)0 

Of  the  above  amount,  some  small  part,  having  been  shipped 
from  ports  on  Lake  J^rie  to  thyse  farther  westward,  is  reck- 
oned twice,  but  this  is  far  more  than  compensated  for  by  the 
consumption  of  the  inland  cities  and  towns  of  this  rich  and 
populous  region  as  far  west  as  Indianapolis  and  beyond,  so 
that  it  will,  I  think,  be  no  exaggeration  to  take  the  whole  coal- 
consumption  of  the  region  thus  supplied  at  (5,000,000  tons. 
From  the  figures  above  given,  it  will  ])o  seen  that  the  average 
annual  increase  of  the  receipts  at  the  three  great  centres  wa's, 
for  the  last  five  years,  over  twenty-five  per  cent.,  and  with  the 
rapid  growth  of  the  west  in  manufacturing  industries  of  all 
kinds,  its  railways  and  its  steamboats,  it  may  bo  confidently 
expected  that  this  rate  of  increase  will  continue  for  many 
years  to  come.    If,  however,  we  put  for  ihe  whole  of  the  reo-ion 


74 


THE   COAL   AND   IRON   REGION 


''  ' 


to  bo  supplied  the  annual  increase  at  only  twenty  instead 
of  twenty-five  per  cent.,  we  shall  find  that  in  place  of  the 
6,000,000  of  tons  consumed  in  1873,  there  will  be  required 
in  1880,  or  seve*^  years  hence,  14,400,000  tons  of  coal. 

§  117.  When  .  is  this  great  supply  of  coal  to  come? 
A  largo  proportion  Avill  continue  to  be  sent  from  Pennsyl- 
vania and  northern  Ohio,  and  doubtless  the  Illinois  and'ln- 
diana  coal  fields,  notwithstanding  the  drawbacks  as  to  quality 
of  coal  and  to  difficulties  and  costs  of  mining,  will  yield  an 
increasing  contingent,  but  Ohio,  from  its  geographical  posi- 
tion, and  from  tho  course  of  trade,  must  continue  to  furnish 
an  increasing  proportion.  It  has,  however,  been  shown  that 
the  coal  formation  of  this  state  in  its  northern  half  has,  with 
the  exception  of  tho  Mahoning  valley  region,  with  its  single 
thin  and  interrupted  vein  of  Briar  Hill  coal,  yielded  little 
except  coals  of  inferior  quality,  and  that  it  is  only  in  tho 
Hocking  valley  region  that  we  have,  in  the  great  vein,  an 
abundant  supply  of  good  coal  free  from  sulphur  and  fit  alike 
for  all  ordinary  manufacturing  and  household  purposes  and 
for  the  smelting  of  iron.  When  we  take  into  consideration 
all  these  circumstances  it  seems  difficult  to  overestimate  tho 
importance  of  the  Hocking  valley  coal  field,  from  which  a 
great  portion  of  tho  west  and  northwest  must  draw  the  chief 
part  of  its  coal-supply  for  generations  to  come.  If  the  views 
of  Mansfield  and  of  others,  who  have  carefully  studied  tho 
coal  trade  of  Cincinnati,  be  true,  this  city  can  be  better  and 
more  cheaply  supplied  with  coal  from  tho  Hocking  valley 
than  from  Pittsburgh,  and  thus  bo  rendered  independent 
of  the  long  and  uncertain  navigation  of  tho  upper  Ohio ; 
while  it  is  probable  that  tho  lower  portion  of  this  river  and 
the  Mississippi  may  get  from  the  Hocking  valley  field,  by  the 
way  of  Portsmouth  and  Gallipolis,  a  large  part  of  its  coal- 
supply. 

§  118.   Tho  coal  of  Ohio  may,  in  its  geographical,  com- 
mercial and  industrial  relations,  be  compared  to  the  anthracite 


A 


OF   SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


75 


'A 


of  Pennsylvania.  The  latter,  occupying  an  area  of  about 
four  hundred  and  seventy  scjuare  miles,  placed  on  the  eastern 
border  of  the  broad  Appalachian  basin,  has  before  it  to  the 
north  and  east  the  great,  rich  and  populous,  but  coalless  states 
of  New  York,  New  Jersey  and  New  England,  which  look  to 
it  for  their  chief  supply  of  fuel.  Moreover,  in  New  York, 
in  New  Jersey  and  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  are  immense  de- 
posits of  rich  iron  ores,  which  find  in  the  anthracite  the  fuel 
necessary  for  their  reduction  and  manufacture.  As  a  re- 
sult of  this  wo  find  that  the  amount  of  anthracite  mined  in 
1872  was  19,000,000  tons,  or  nearly  one-half  the  whole  coal- 
production  of  the  United  States,  which  amounted  to  41,000,- 
000  tons. 

If  now  we  turn  to  the  west  we  find  on  the  opposite  border 
of  the  Appalachian  basin  the  coal  region  of  eastern  Ohio, 
and  particularly  the  Hocking  valley  coal  field,  with  its  three 
hundred  square  miles  of  superior  and  easily  mined  coal,  sus- 
taining similar  relations  to  the  rich  and  populous  but  coalless 
states  to  the  north  and  west,  which  must  in  time  to  come 
look  to  it  for  the  supply  of  a  great  portion  of  their  fuel.  In 
addition  to  this  we  have,  as  a  further  resemblance,  the  vast 
supplies  of  iron  ores,  not  only  those  of  southern  Ohio  itself, 
but  those  of  Lake  Superior  and  of  Missouri,  which,  with  the 
development  of  an  export-trade  in  coal  from  this  region,  will 
find  their  way  thither  in  increasing  quantities  to  be  smelted 
and  manufactured.  In  view  of  all  these  facts  we  may  with 
confidence  expect  to  see  this  coal  field  and  its  vicinity  the  seat 
of  a  metallurgical  industry  comparable  to  that  of  the  Lehigh 
valley  and  of  Pittsburgh. 


\1 


w 


■I 


} 


APPENDIX. 


ON    THE    COSTS    OF    lUON-SMELTING. 

In  §  04  wo  have  given  .an  estimate  by  Mr.  Harvey  Wells,  making 
the  cost  of  producing  pig  irun  at  tiie  furnace  now  building  in 
Milton,  where  the  ores  and  coal  will  both  be  mined  on  the  furnace- 
lands,  less  than  $10.00  per  ton.  In  this  estimate,  besides  $0.75 
for  limi'stone  to  be  used  as  tlux,  the  cos^ts  of  labor  and  wear  and 
tear,  etc.,  are  counted  at  $5.00.  This  latter  figure  will  vary  con- 
siderably according  to  locality,  iuid  is  the  same  as  that  given  by 
Messrs.  Cooper,  Hewitt  &  Co.,  for  Ringwood,  New  Jersey,  where 
the  magnetic  ores  of  the  region  are  smelted  with  anthracite  and 
iron  is  made  very  cheaply.  At  Pittsburgh,  IVni'sylvania,  accord- 
ing to  high  authority',  the  estimate  for  these  expenses  (including 
limestone  for  Hux)  is  S'S.OO,  instead  of  $5.75,  as  given  for  Milton. 
The  price  of  Lake  Sui)erior  ore  being  $1>.00  a*  ton  at  Cleveland, 
and  $2.25  added  for  freight  thence  to  l'ittsbur"ii,  making  $11.25, 
the  cost  of  1-^  tons  of  ore,  recinired  to  produce  a  ton  of  iron,  will 
be  $18.75.  Adding  to  this  the  cost  of  Ul  tons,  or  eighty  bushels 
of  Connellsville  coke  at  eight  cents,  or  $(!.  10,  and  $8.00,  as  above, 
for  other  expenses,  we  have  $30.15  as  the  cost  of  a  ton  of  i)ig  iron 
at  Pittsburgh.  Tiie  iron  masters  of  this  region,  however,  making 
their  own  coke  at  Connellsville,*  get  it  delivered  at  Pittsl)urgh  for 
al)out  six  and  a  half  cents,  which  would  reduce  the  ton  of  iron 
to  about  $;32.00. 

At  Cleveland,  the  same  amount  of  ore  Iteing  $15.00,  the  coke 
from  Connellsville  costs  in  addition  to  eight  cents  a  bushel  or  $  1.00 
a  ton  at  Pittsburgh,  the  freight  of  $2.25  the  ton  or  $<1.25,  making 

*  The  coke  wlilcli  is  uiaile  from  (lie  coal  of  riltsl»iiry;li  is  larfiely  used 
for  louiuh-y  purposes.  Il  wciylis  iilK)Ut  tliirty-tlircc  poiiiKis  to  the  Ixislicl, 
ami  for  iroii-siiioltiiiii;  tlic  coko  from  tlif  (.'oiiiicllsvillf  coal,  wliicli  woi^lis 
forty  i)onii(ls  to  ti'c  Itnslicl.  is  urcatly  prcfcrrotl.  lU'ccnt  trials  imido  at 
the  .loliot  Stcfl  Works  to  purify,  by  wasliiiifr,  tlu'  sulpliiiroiis  coals  of 
nortlicni  Illinois,  and  convert  tliem  into  a  coke  (it for  nietalinr^jieal  piu'- 
poses,  liave  l)et'n  iMisnccessfui.  'I'lie  resnitinu;  coke  was  too  porous  for 
tlie  l)last-furnacc,  and  the  amonnl  of  snlpiiur  could  not,  he  not  l)clow  1.70 
percent,     (ferhune,  Knyineering  and  ^iining  Journal,  April  2."),  1S74.) 

C"7) 


I  .4 


il 

-   *v' 

■  v.' 


'•'V, 


>' 


78 


APPENDIX. 


for  If  tons,  89.75,  which  with  the  addition  of  $8.00,  as  before, 
would  bring  the  cost  of  the  ton  of  iron  made  from  Lake  Superior 
ores  with  Connellsville  coke  at  Cleveland,  to  832.75.  Substitut- 
ing 2]  tons  of  Briar  Hill  coal,  at  an  average  price  of  $4.25,  we 
have   $9.56,  which  is  nearly  the   same  as  for  coke. 

To  points  within  the  Hocking  Valley  coal-fleld  distant  160  miles 
from  Cleveland  or  from  Sandusky,  the  ores  of  Lake  Superior  can  be 
brought  from  these  ports,  at  the  ordinary  rates  of  freight  for  coal 
over  the  Ohio  roads,  for  $2.00  per  ton,  making  the  ore  $11.00,  or 
for  1§  tons  $18.33.  If  now  we  take  three  tons  of  coal  at  $1.50  a 
ton,  we  shall  have,  with  the  addition  of  $8.00  as  before,  $30.83. 
But  to  the  iron-master,  mining  his  own  coal  and  building  his 
furnace  at  the  coal  bank,  the  cost  of  the  coal  will  be  $1.00  a 
ton  or  less,  which  will  reduce  the  cost  of  iron  made  from  Lake 
Superior  ores  in  the  coal  field,  to  $29.33  the  ton.  Substituting 
for  the  ores  of  Lake  Superior  the  native  ores,  which  mined  on 
the  land,  will  cost  in  some  cases,  as  we  have  seen,  not  more  than 
$2.50  to  $2.75,  and  may  be  estimated  at  $3.00  the  ton,  we  shall 
have  for  2^  tons  of  these  ores,  $7.50,  which,  with  $3.00  for  coal, 
and  the  addition  of  $8.00,  as  before,  will  give  $18.50  for  the  ton 
of  iron  made  in  the  coal-field  with  native  ores.  Comparing  this 
with  the  lower  estimate  given  at  Milton,  we  may  conclude  that  the 
price  of  iron  thus  manufactured  in  this  region,  will  range  from 
$16.00  to  $18.00  the  ton,  and  may,  in  many  places,  be  still  lower. 

The  coke,  an  admixture  of  which  with  the  raw  coal  is  in  some 
cases  found  advantageous  both  in  the  Mahoning  Valley  and  at 
Zanesville  and  Columbus,  is  now  supplied  from  Connellsville.  As 
already  i-emarked.  hpwever.  the  Coal  7  of  the  Hocking  Valley  field 
promises  to  yield  a  good  coke,  while  the  lower  four  feet  of  the  great 
Pittsburgh  seam,  so  finely  developed  on  Big  Run  (§  12),  has  lately 
been  found  to  give  a  coke  of  superior  appearance,  which  is  said  to 
have  been  tried  with  excellent  results  at  a  furnace  in  Jackson 
county. 


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MAP  OF  A  PART  OF  THE 


CO^L  AND  IROjN  REGION 


OUTHERN  OHIO 


Showinphe Railroads  completed,  in  progress  and  projected. 


COMPILED  FROM  THE  MOST  BECENT  AND  AUTHENTIC  SOURCES 


BY  ISAAC  B.RILETC.E.I^E\VARK,OinO. 


dra\v:n  btj).w.curtix 


to    accoTi\pany  st  report  by 


T.  STERRYHUNT  LLD.rR  S 


i.     k5  11!ilVlVl    lll_  -LI  A     AJU.J-..,  I-  »••'-• 


1874. 


SCALE  TWO   MILES  TO    ONE    INCH 


:Notes. 


Mail  Roads  complUed^ 


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